The fort contains splendid mosques and palaces in red sandstone and white marble built by two generations of creative builders during the time of Akbar and later Jehangir and Shahjahan.
It comprises many visionary palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan, audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas, and two beautiful mosques.
Amar Singh gate towards the south is the entry point in the fort and the mammoth walls of the fort are 20 feets high. The marble pearl mosque inside the fort is one of the most stunningly beautiful mosques in India . Between the many pavilions, you find small well maintained gardens.
Akbar was the third Mughal emperor and undoubtedly the greatest. He crowned as the Mughal ruler in 1556 at the tender age of 14, when his father Humayun died suddenly. After Akbar consolidated his rule, he began constructing the Agra Fort, which coincided with the building of Humayun's tomb in Delhi . Though additions were made up until the rule of Shahjahan, who was Akbar's grandson. During the time of Akbar, the fort mainly served for military purpose, while by the time of Shahjahan it also served as a palace and court.
The lofty battlements of the Agra fort cast its protective shadow over the far stretching mansions of nobles and princes built along the riverfront. The magnificent towers, bastions and ramparts and majestic gateways symbolized the confidence and power of the third Mughal emperor. Of the nearly 500 Akbari buildings built in the Bengal and Gujarati traditions, only a few have survived, arrayed in a band on the riverfront.
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