No one really knows how glorious a castle really is until he or she visits one.

This is what makes touring Fatehpur Sikri all worthwhile.  People will be able to see the greatness of a real castle, and be simply stunned by the idea that those who lived so many centuries ago could have created things extremely majestic.

History of Fatehpur Sikri

The area was existent for quite some time, but Fatehpur Sikri was conceptualized and founded by the Mughal leader Akbar.  He created this in honor of the Sufi saint Salim Chishti.  It was the saint who predicted that Akbar would have another son and an heir to the throne.  When this came true, the castle was built and made the capital of the empire.  It was abandoned a little over a decade later due to the problems with the water.

Tourism in Fatehpur Sikri

The whole fortress or castle or whatever you would wish to call it, is worthy of attention.  To start of the tour, one could visit the Jama Masjid, roughly translated as the “Friday Mosque”.  It shows a mixture of Persian and indigenous styles of painting on the walls, truly a great example of how people give their best effort for their faith and belief.

The excitement would start early for any tour of the Jama Masjid though, as every visitor of this mosque must first pass through the Buland Darwaza. This is the biggest gateway in India, and one of the biggest in the world.  Made to commemorate the emperor's victory over Gujarat, no expense was spared in making it glorious.  Made of red sandstone, it has gold inlays of verses from the Qur'an.

A tour would never be complete without a visit to the reason of the city's existence.  A great space was reserved for the tomb of Salim Chishti.  A white, single story building holds the tomb itself, enclosed by marble screens.  The tomb is on a platform with a wooden canopy over it.  One may be able to see black strings tied to the screens of the tomb.  These represent the wishes of devotees, who promise to return and untie the string once the wish is fulfilled.

Anyone will surely enjoy a tour of Fatehpur Sikri.  It is one place where each area promises something to view and enjoy.  One would not want to skip any wall or corner, because the art found in the place is one of a kind.  With a lot of history and culture found in a single place, a week long visit would definitely not be enough to enjoy a vacation.  Every visit will leave the tourist wanting more, and may very well result in succeeding visits to the place, and to India.