Final fatehpur sikri

Fatehpur Sikri
Uttar Pradesh, India

 Abandoned city in northern India founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1571.

 Fatehpur Sikri is a palace complex, built by the Mughal Emperor Jalal’ud-Din
Muhammad Akbar (reg.1556-1605), son of Humayun and grandson of Babur.

 The palace complex is situated on the ridge of a hill about 40 meters in
height by the side of an artificial lake.

 The city touches the easternmost tip of Rajasthan and is located on the main route
between Agra

 There were two main phases of construction for the complex: 1572 to 1575, when the
main buildings were raised and finished, and 1575 to 1585, when passages and corridors
where added to the existing buildings according to the needs of the Emperor and his
family
 The whole complex is spread in three plateaus on receding levels with respect to the
topography of the ridge. The mosque complex is located on the uppermost level of
the ridge, and consists of the Great Mosque (Jami Masjid, with the tomb of Shaykh
Salim Chisti incorporated into its courtyard), which dominates the entire architectural
composition by means of its size, and a small palatial complex called the Nayabad
quarter (including the Rang Mahal).

 The palace complex is laid out on the two lower platforms, covering approximately 250
square meters
 The buildings of the complex can be grouped in two main zones. The middle plateau is the
most private, housing the residential buildings: the northern palace (Birbal's Palace), the
Shaqh-i Isbal (Jodh Bai’s Palace), the Sonahra Makan (Miriam’s Palace), the guest house
(hospitalia) and the stables (Shahi Bazar and Mina Bazar).
 The lowest plateau is occupied by the public and semi-public areas of the palace
complex, comprising the public audience hall (Diwan-i 'Am), the (attributed) private
audience hall (Diwan-i Khass), the Ank Michauli and Astrologer’s Seat, the Panj Mahal,
the imperial apartments (Khwabgah), the royal quarters (Daulat Khana), including the
library (Kutubkhana), the state archives (Daftar Khana), the Anup Talao pavilion and the
storage house (Abdar Khana). Most of the buildings of the public and semi-public area
face east, while the Khwabgah faces north.
 The first major structure built at the site was Jami Masjid (congregational mosque)
which was completed in 1571 the year

 At the time of its construction it was the biggest mosque in India measuring 160 m east-
west by 130 m north-south. The central courtyard is surrounded by arcades of pointed
arches which lead into small cell-like rooms. The centre of the west of the courtyard is
dominated by the sanctuary which has a huge central iwan leading on to a domed area in
front of the main mihrab. Either side of the central dome are two smaller domes each
covering the area in front of a smaller mihrab

Fatehpur Sikri
Live map
1- Entrance (Diwan-i-Amm)
2- Diwan-i-Khass
3- Daulat Khana
4- Astrologer's Seat
5- Panch Mahal 3 2
6- Anup Talao
7- House of the Turkish Sultana 4
8- House of Miriam
9- Palace of Jodh Bai 1
10- Garden
11- House of Birbal 5
10
7
8 6

9

1 . Entrance (Diwan-i-Amm)
 Mughal fusion of Hindu and Muslim architectural
styles was embodied in spacious courtyards, wide
palaces, and open pavilions, quarried from the
local sandstone and cooled by numerous water
channels, ponds, and tanks.
 The first court of the palace complex towards the
Diwan-i Amm, the entrance to Akbar's private
residence.
 An oblong complex comprising a large quadrangular space, 112.38 meters north-south
and 55.20 meters east-west, it is wrapped by a colonnaded passageway (dalan)
composed of one hundred and eleven bays
 The dalans, constructed from red sandstone, are set on a raised plinth and are composed of
square stone columns with plain bases and slightly molded capitals. These are surmounted
by simple brackets supporting stone lintels and a continuous eave (chhajja).
 The Emperor’s pavilion is a small rectangular structure of red sandstone, measuring 9.27 by
6.65 meters, positioned symmetrically to the enclosure and projecting slightly into the
courtyard. In plan, it is a single chamber with stone walls 1.10 meters thick surrounded by a
portico, 3.05 meters wide. The flat-roofed chamber itself rises above the porticos.
 The portico is shaded by a stone-tile roof (khaprel) resting upon carved brackets, above which
runs the same carved parapet as the one over the dalans. The eastern portico is divided by
two exquisitely carved three-part trapezium screens, with the Emperor’s seat in the center.

2 Ceremonial Platform
Diwan-i Khass, Fatehpur Sikri
 The free-standing structure situated in the center of this
courtyard has come to be identified as the Diwan-i Khass
 This is a square two-storey building with a balcony
supported on heavy corbels above which is a chajja also
supported on heavy corbels
 Built in red sandstone, it is a square, symmetrical
building measuring 13.18 meters/side on the exterior. It
stands on a paneled plinth, 0.75 meters high. From
without it appears double-storied; its four elevations are
identical
 On the roof there are domed chatris at each corner

 Inside the building consists of a two-storey hall with a gallery at first-floor level. Bridges
which run diagonally from the corners of the gallery connect to a balcony supported by
a central pillar.
 The pillar is richly carved in the Hindu tradition with a mass of heavy corbels
supporting the circular balcony above.

 The arrangement of a square building with a central pillar may reflect some Hindu
mandala whereby the central column represents the axis of the world

Diwan-i Khass, Fatehpur Sikri

PLAN SECTION

3. Daulat Khana and Astrologer's Seat
Fatehpur Sikri

 Daulat Khana means "treasury." Daulat
Khana is one of the monuments of Fatehpur
Sikri
 The Daulat Khana was Akbar’s private
quarters. It overlooked the palace of his
Turkish Queen.
 The Daulat Khana housed the imperial
library and sleeping quarters. It
encompasses a series of buildings
decorated with intricately carved stone
screens, elaborate brackets, broad attic and
beautifully carved columns.
 The library room on the ground floor had a
rich collection of 50,000 manuscripts. Akbar
often had them read out to him, as he
himself was illiterate.
 The emperor also had a resting area on the
same floor. The sleeping quarters,
Khwabgah, was on the second floor,
decorated with Persian insciptions.

4. Astrologer's Seat, Fatehpur Sikri

 Red sandstone domed pavilion, a typical element of Indian
architecture that was widely adopted by the Mughals. Called a
"chhatri," literally meaning umbrella, the function of this
specific chhatri is unknown. Popular legend calls it the
"Astrologer’s Seat.
 The pavilion is square in plan, 2.74 meters per side, and is
situated on an extension of the same plinth (1.07 meters
high) that supports the Ankh Michauli. Traces of a stone
railing, which once enclosed it, still remain
 At each corner is a column, square at the base, with a carved
floral motif on all sides.
 The column shaft is divided into two sections: the lower
section is square in section and transitions via a floral design
into the upper section, which is shaped into an octagonal
section.
 Serpentine struts (toranas) emerge at a 45 degree angle from
a carved stone monster’s head (makara) on the octagonal
shaft, rising to meet under the center of each lintel.

5. Panch Mahal ,Fatehpur Sikri

 The Panj Mahal is a rectangular colonnaded
structure open on all sides and built from local red
sandstone. It is positioned to act as a "transition"
building between the semi-public spaces that
surround the Daulat Khana courtyard and the more
private spaces of the Royal Harem.
 The building is comprised of five levels, with the ground floor measuring 22.05 meters north–
south by 17.65 meters east–west, and the upper floors decreasing in their horizontal
dimensions as they rise, forming an asymmetrical pyramid stacked over the southeast corner.
The final, fifth level is a domed chhatri. The total height of the structure equals the total
length of its ground floor
 The ground floor is laid out in 8 aisles running east-west and 6 running north-south, with a
total of 84 columns. Double columns appear in the outer row along the east elevation; they
are also used in the interior rows that align (in plan) with the location of the upper floor. The
ground-floor columns are octagonal in section, with the exception of four circular ones

The Panch Mahal as seen from
the courtyard of the Daulat
Khana

Interior view of detail of
double-column capital

 The ground floor has a carved jaali balustrade, and no projecting chhajja.

Interior view of detail
of column capital Interior detail of column capital

 The first floor above ground level is 6 aisles deep east-west and 4 aisles deep north-south,
with a total of 56 columns. On this floor the external columns are doubled not only along
the east elevation, but along the west and north as well. The corner columns form four-
fold arrangements: the columns are round and each one of them bears a unique design.
This floor is the most ornate and details in its carvings. A deep chhajja projects from the
ceiling of the first floor outwards
 The second floor above ground continues to recede to the southeast, with 4 aisles east-west
and 2 aisles north-south. As with the first floor, it has double columns on the eastern external
side and a projecting chhajja with a carved frieze. The third floor contains 12 columns,
doubled and bracketed along the exteriors. Instead of a projecting chhajja, it has a
characteristic jaali balustrade. On its fourth floor above ground, the building is crowned by a
square chhatri with a cupola roof. The pavilion is aligned with the second and third rows of
columns of the floors below
 The form of the building is one solution to the problem of adequate ventilation in a multi-
story structure.

6-Anup Talao

 The Anup Talao, or "peerless pool," was completed in
1576 on a wide platform (chabutara) to the north of
the Khwabgah (imperial apartments) in the Mahal-i
Khass courtyard.
 The Anup Talao is a red sandstone masonry tank, square in plan and bilaterally symmetrical.
A square island platform stands in its centre. Stone bridges, 0.61 meters wide and supported
by stone columns with bracket capitals, span 10.06 meters from the center of each side of
the platform to the side of the tank. Another name for the Anup Talao, the "Char-Chamad,"
refers to these four bridges.
 The tank served to cool the air near the Khwabgah. It formed part of a system of mini-tanks
and canals built on the eastern platform of the Khwabgah. The tank measures 29.26 meters
per side and is 3.66 meters deep. The island platform (9.14 m2) is flanked by a jaali balustrade,
and has a raised seat (chabutra, 3.66 m2) in its center
 Two consecutive series of six broad stairs step down from the sides of the tank to the
original water level (0.96 meters, or just below the twelfth step). The tank was originally
filled via one water channel from the waterworks near the Elephant Gate to the west: the
water was carried via a stone duct north of Birbal’s Place, Miriam’s Garden, and the Kothi. A
second channel came from the eastern waterworks. Overflow was diverted to the tank
found north of the building with a central column (Ekastambha-Prasada), to keep the level
of water in the Anup Talao constant.

7-Turkish Sultana's House

Detail of ornamentation in carved
sandstone on the veranda
Exterior view of close-up of
Detail of the interior panels, decorated south façade, showing columns
with exotic animals in lush foliage and carving on roof edge
 Northeast of the Anup Talao is a profusely ornamented chamber popularly referred to as the
"Pavilion of the Turkish Sultana," and now more simply referred to as the Anup Talao pavilion
 Square in plan, the pavilion measures 3.96 per side on the interior, and features a khaprel
ceiling. Along its west elevation is a rectangular portico, 2.64 by 4.07 meters, with the same
floor-ceiling height as the main chamber and supported on piers that are square in section
and octagonal columns.
 Carved in floral and geometric patterns, the main chamber is one of the most richly
ornamented structures of the entire complex. Opulent carvings adorn dado panels, columns,
pilasters, double columns, brackets, and friezes.
 Every square meters of the interior dado panel is covered with vegetable and animal motifs
with distinctive borders of hexagons and swastikas. These panels depict scenes from forests,
orchards, and gardens, ingeniously crafted. The pavilion has three windows, each of which
are filled with exquisite white marble tracery.

8-House of Miriam

 West of the Anup Talao court and placed in the center of
its own courtyard is a red sandstone building known as the
Sonahra Makan (Golden House), on account of its rich
interior murals. It is also popularly named "Miriam's Kothi"
(residence).

 In terms of function, this structure, with its open and formal character, profuse
ornamentation, and lack of bathroom facilities, was likely not used as a residence but rather
as a drawing room (baithak) where Akbar would receive his court artists.
 Measuring 18.24 by 14.75 meters on the exterior, it is bilaterally symmetrical along its long
(north-south) axis. Divided into 5 bays along the north-south axis, the building has two main
parts.

 The interior partitioning walls are approximately 1.2 meters thick. The hall is 5.18 meters in
height and surrounded on its east, north, and west by a high colonnaded portico that fills
the outer 7 bays. From the outside, the entire building appears to be single-storied;
however, while the central hall and porticos are single-height, the southern rooms occupy
two stories.

Interior detail of patterns on ceiling, Interior close-up of
walls and cornice corner and cornice
Exterior view from west showing
façade and chatthri

 A continuous stone chhajja runs along each elevation, supported on carved brackets. The
carvings depict Hindu deities, symbols, and motifs such as rows of elephants, swans, and
kirttimukhas (monsters, lit., "faces of glory").

 The building has a flat roof, with a rectangular chhatri over its northern section. This chhattri
is composed of eight columns with bracket capitals, carrying lintels that support a projecting
horizontal eave.

 Both the interior and exterior walls of the building were entirely painted, mostly in a figurative
style, directly on the surface of the stone. These paintings depicted elephant fights, hunts,
battle scenes, tournaments, and architectural subjects. Within the color scheme, deep blue,
red, and gold predominated. Indian flora and fauna, as well as typical clothing, was worked
into the design

9-Palace of Jodh Bai
 .The Shabistan-i Iqbal, or Principal Haram Sara, is the
largest and best-preserved of the residences of the
imperial zenana (harem sara). Its popular name,
Jodhbai's Palace, is probably a misnomer: Jodhbai was
the daughter of Mota Raja Udaisingh of Jodpur and
wife to Akbar's son Jedhangir.

 The haram sara is a double-storied structure composed of rooms arranged around a big
open-air courtyard. Rectangular in plan, it measures 211.34 meters east to west and 196.5
meters north to south. An adjunct structure housing baths and latrines projects to the south,
and a balcony connected to a viaduct projects to the north.
 From the exterior, the palace appears massive; apart from the entry and its guard-towers,
the only apertures in the elevations are jharokhas (projecting balconies)

 The jharokha balcony is supported on four brackets with a jaali balustrade. Each exterior
corner of the palace above the jharokha windows is further protected by a chhajja, which is
in turn surmounted by a square base supporting an octagonal drum and a shallow dome.

 The exterior enclosing walls - constructed of red and yellow sandstone blocks - are plain but
for a continuous intermediary frieze with decorative carvings, which indicates the ceiling
level of the rooms on the ground floor within, and decorative merlons along the parapet
interrupted only by the corner chhajjas.

Exterior view of east entrance of Exterior view of west façade Exterior close-up of façade, entry and
guard-house, showing bay windows showing dome and bay window detailed corbels and overhang
and chatthris supported by corbels

 The palace is can only be accessed via a single
monumental gateway in the center of its eastern wall
 The entrance opening is in the center of the gateway,
3.31 meters high and 2.28 meters wide and flanked by
Interior detail of carved
engaged columns that support stone brackets and a circular portion of ceiling
Interior detail of wall massive lintel
 At ground level, the entrance is flanked on either side by a small decorative
arched iwan, or large niche. Above the iwans and to either side of the band of
five arches are two jharokha windows supported on brackets
 The gateway is further protected by a small detached stone guardhouse roofed with a gabled
roof to the southeast.
 Passing through the gateway, one follows a "Z"-shaped path without a direct view into the
inner courtyard

 The inner courtyard measures 54.9 meters by 49.32 meters.
Its central sunken area, 46.95 by 41.85 meters, is accessed
via a single step running along all four sides. In its center
stands a small square tank.
 Around the inner court are double-storied residential
quarters at the corners and formal "suites" in the centers
of each side, excepting the east, which contains the
Interior courtyard view toward
northwest
entrance gateway. Along the north and southern walls,
the suites are nearly identical
 In the overall building scheme, the forms of the north and
south apartments are similar, and likewise the east and west
apartments make a pair.

10-Garden

Exterior view toward south, Exterior aerial view toward west
looking at pavilion in foreground

 North of the imperial haram sara, and adjoining the northwest corner of the courtyard of
the Sonahra Makran, is is a garden known as "Miriam’s Garden," or the zenana garden.
Used by the royal ladies of the palace
 It was completely enclosed via rubble walls faced in cement. Its doorway was flanked by a
guardhouse at the northwest corner of the Sonahra Makran courtyard.

 The garden is based on a traditional chahar bagh garden, laid out on two terraces, of which
the upper measures 27 by 28.4 meters, and the lower approximately 19 by 37 meters. Each
level is divided by orthogonal walls into two quarters; flowers, plants, and shrubs lined their
sides. The garden was originally paved in stone.
 On the southeast corner of the upper level stand the ruins of a covered cistern, built below
ground level, which held water from the water works at the Elephant Gate. The square tank
measures 7.31 meters/side and is 1.22 meters deep. It was used as a swimming and bathing
pool for the ladies of the court.

11-Birbal's House

Interior detail of stone carving

Exterior view toward southwest
Interior detail of carving looking at double-column arcade
Lotus Niche
 This building is also known as "Birbal's Palace," and may have once formed part of the
haram sara, with its own covered and screened passage connecting it to the principal haram
sara viaduct.
 It is sited at the northern end of the zenana area at the very edge of the complex, north and
west of the principal palace of the haram sara.
 The house is a two-storied building, splendidly ornamented with carving, both inside and
out. From the construction, it would appear that Hindus were the architects; but the
decoration, from which it is easy to discover the taste of the occupants, is nearly all
Arabian or Persian in style,.

11-Hiran Minar

 The Hiran Minar ("deer tower") is located north and west of the
Hathi Pol, outside of the palace complex, just north of the imperial
caravanserai.
 Measuring twenty-one meters in height, the tower's plan is
octagonal at its base, circular after the height of 3.91 meters, and
topped with a chhatri.
 The circular part of the tower is decorated with stone spikes, and a
circular balcony projects on stone corbels from the upper part of the
tower.

Exterior close-up view of Its exact function is unknown, but it may have been a lookout tower
tower showing surface or a distance marker for travelers.
decorations and projecting
elements

Interior view toward north of
Exerior view toward west showing Exterior view looking up at Bulard courtyard showing white marble tomb
arched entryway and colonnade Darwasa, steps leading to gateway of Shaykh Salim Chishti
 The Friday mosque of Fatehpur Sikri is the sacred complex of the fortified imperial city built
by Akbar between 1571-85.
 A congregational mosque organized around a large courtyard, it was the largest mosque in
India at the time of its construction
 The Fatehpur Sikri Friday Mosque complex includes the enclosure of the mosque itself,
containing the prayer hall, the tomb of Salim Chishti, and the tomb of Nawab Islam Khan. On
the same plateau is the small Nayabad palace, the Stonecutter’s Mosque, and the Rang
Mahal.
 The main imperial entrance to the mosque complex, called the Badshahi Darwaza
("Emperor’s Gate") is located along its eastern edge, opposite the prayer hall, and was likely
used by royal palace residents.
 On the southern side of the courtyard, known as the Buland Darwaza ("Lofty Gate").
 A multistoried, semi-octagonal structure, it measures about 40 meters east-west and 20
meters north-south and contains large rooms, passages, and stairways. The exterior
(southern) elevation of the Buland Darwaza rises to a height of 40 meters above the level
of the mosque’s court.

 The Buland Darwaza is clad in red and yellow sandstone, while the rest of the mosque
complex is clad predominantly in red sandstone.
 Within the enclosure wall is a rectangular courtyard, measuring 133 meters east-west and
109 meters north-south. The white marble tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti occupies a
prominent position in the court.
 Approximately ten meters to the east of this tomb is the larger tomb of Nawab Islam Khan
 The northern, southern, and eastern sides of the courtyard are filled with spacious dalans
(arcades), 11.66 meters deep.
 The dalans are organized in two continuous bays. The inner bay is composed of small hujras
(cells), likely used as sleeping chambers for pilgrims and practitioners. The outer bay is a
continuous arcade with broad, pointed arches supported on square pillars; it forms the
courtyard edge.
 The main prayer hall is located along the western side of the courtyard, and measures
about 88 north-south and 20 meters east-west. Its entry (eastern) elevation of the hall is
dominated by a central gateway composed of a high recessed ogee arch set within a
rectangular frame and surmounted by a row of domed chattris.
 Rectangular in plan, the gateway is roofed by a semi-dome and contains three arched
openings that lead into the prayer hall.
 The central archway is clad with bands of red and yellow sandstone, while the smaller
arched openings have mosaic inlay work in geometrical patterns.

 The interior of the prayer hall is divided into three bays; the central bay is square and
measures 12.5 meters per side and is topped by a single dome supported on squinches

 The two side bays measure approx. 29 meters north-south by 19 meters east-west. Each is
composed of a colonnaded hall with a square domed room (8 meters per side), located
centrally within this hall along the western (qibla) wall.
 Within each bay, nine mihrabs are found along the qibla wall, for a total of 21 mihrab niches
in the entire prayer hall.
 The central mihrab niches located within the square domed rooms has been given special
attention: set within a larger arch, it is ornamented with inlay stone work, glazed tiles, and
carved and painted inscriptions.
 The mihrabs located in the colonnade on either side of the square domed rooms occur in a
double-story pattern.
 These two side bays of the prayer hall display a combination of arcuate domed construction,
present in the 2 smaller square rooms, and a trabeated system of tall Hindu-style pillars
supporting a flat ceiling, present in the colonnaded halls. In the square room, corbels start
low in the corners to form the transition from rectangular plan to octagonal drum. The drum
is finished in plaster and articulated with radiating bands.
 With the exception of the marble-clad tomb of Salim Chishti, the complex is rendered in red
sandstone, with some yellow sandstone accents. Its style and ornamentation owe much to
Gujarati architecture

Final fatehpur sikri

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