Fatehpur Sikri

Although Fatehpur Sikri was the headquarters of the empire, Agra played an important role as being the city which was regarded as even safer and which therefore still functioned as a military and administrative center. In 1986, Fatehpur Sikri was inscribed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site .

The buildings in the city show a variety of Indian influences probably reflecting the individual regional background of the architects and craftsmen who built different parts of the city, ranging from Bengali to Gujarati style themes. Islamic architectural style was also intermixed with Hindu styles to form a aesthetically pleasing variety to the buidings in the city. The stone used for buiding was sandstone, red in colour, quarried locally from the site of the city.

Some important buildings in Fatehpur Sikri are listed below:

Diwan-i-Am – A public hall which served as a meeting place for the public to get an audience with the Mughal rulers.

Diwan-i-Khas – A private meeting hall where the ruler Akbar would sit of a circular platform supported by carved stone brackets .

• Naubat Khana – Close to the entry, where arriving guests would be announced and introduced.   
• Birbal's house: Birbal was a Hindu minister in Emperor Akbar’s government, and due to his wisdom and foresight, was regarded as Akbar’s favourite minister. This building was Birbal’s residence
• Panch Mahal: A beautiful 5 storey palace like structure, with carved columns and stone elements.  
• Buland Darwaza :The entrance gate leading to Jami Masjid, quite large and magnificent.
• Pachisi Court: A square made in the form of a human sized board game where the humans instead of pieces played out the game.
• Jama Masjid: The main mosque in the style typical of other important mosques built in this era.  
• Tomb of Salim Chisti: Salim Chisti was a sufi saint, a holy man, who is said to have blessed Akbar with a son. This white marble tomb was made to house the saint’s body.