Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri is a 16th-century Mughal city of red sandstone on a ridge about 40 km west of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, built by the emperor Akbar between 1571 and 1585 and abandoned soon after. Fatehpur Sikri is one of the best preserved Mughal cities in India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

Akbar came to Sikri to see the Sufi saint Salim Chishti, who predicted the birth of an heir; when a son, the future Jahangir, was born in 1569, Akbar built a new capital here. He added Fatehpur, city of victory, to the name after conquering Gujarat. Within about fifteen years the court left, and water shortage is the reason usually given, along with Akbar's campaigns in the northwest. Fatehpur Sikri divides into a royal complex of palaces and courts, and a mosque enclosure entered through the great Buland Darwaza.

What to see

• The Buland Darwaza, about 54 m high and among the tallest gateways in the world
• The Jama Masjid and the white marble tomb of Salim Chishti, where petitioners tie threads to the screens
• The Panch Mahal, a five-storey open pavilion of pillars
• The Diwan-i-Khas, with its single carved central pillar
• Jodha Bai's palace, Birbal's house and the Anup Talao pool
• The giant pachisi court marked out in the paving

What to wear

The Jama Masjid and Salim Chishti's dargah are active places of worship. Shoes come off at the gate, shoulders and knees must be covered, and a scarf to cover your head is expected at the tomb. The red sandstone reflects heat and burns bare feet by midday in summer; socks help. Bring a hat. Visitors to the dargah often wear their best salwar kameez or kurta-pyjama, and women cover their heads with a dupatta.

Local food to try

Fatehpur Sikri town is known for its khatai biscuits, baked crumbly nankhatai sold in the bazaar below the Buland Darwaza. Kebabs and biryani are easy to find in the Muslim quarter by the mosque, mostly halal. For a fuller meal, return to Agra for bedai with aloo sabzi, jalebi and petha. The lunch stops on the Agra road serve north Indian vegetarian thalis.

Good to know

• Best from October to March, in the early morning
• Royal palaces open daily, sunrise to sunset; the mosque enclosure keeps longer hours
• Entry fee for the palaces, higher for foreign visitors; the mosque is free
• Allow two to three hours
• About 40 km west of Agra, one hour by car; on the road towards Jaipur
• Unofficial guides and sellers are persistent; hire a licensed guide at the ticket office

Nearby places

Fatehpur Sikri is usually combined with the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in Agra, and with Chand Baori on the road to Jaipur.