Skip to main content

The Agra Fort

After our morning tour of the Taj Mahal, we will take an afternoon tour of the Agra Fort, also known as the Agra Palace. The Agra Fort is an historical fort and was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty till 1638, when the Mughal capital was moved from Agra to the Red Fort in Delhi. The Agra Fort is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and sits 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city.
The famous Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, gave the site its current look. Shah Jahan also built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife. Unlike his predecessors, Shah Jahan preferred white marble over the traditional red stone. He destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort to make his own in white marble fashion. At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son, Aurangzeb. It is believed that Shah Jahan died in a tower with a marble balcony in direct view of the Taj Mahal. (bottom left and center photos)