Capital of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri is a red sandstone ghost town strung out along a ridge to the southwest of Agra. This extraordinary conglomeration of palace buildings surrounding a great mosque was occupied for only 14 years, due to the water supply being inadequate. Akbar moved his capital to Lahore, then later to Agra, and the city lay abandoned for the next 400 years, a perfectly preserved masterpiece of Mughal glory.
Akbar was not only a remarkable military leader but also an astute diplomat. He was the first Mughal ruler to marry a Hindu, and he also abolished a widely hated poll tax on non-Muslims. The complex at Fatehpur Sikri blends Muslim artistic traditions with Hindu influences. Some of the buildings, such as Birbal’s Palace and Jodhbai’s Palace have a predominantly Hindu theme, whereas the Jami Masjid is exclusively Muslim in conception - said to be a copy of the mosque in Mecca - housing one of the finest mausoleums of the Moghul era, the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti.
The Diwan-i-Am was the Hall of Public Audience, used for celebrations. Cloistered on 3 sides it backs on to a private palace, in the courtyard of which is the Pachisi Board - a game similar to Ludo. According to legend, Akbar had slave girls moved around the board as live ‘pieces’. The court chronicler reported that up to 200 people would play at any one time, and that no-one was allowed to leave until the game was complete which could be inconvenient, as a game could take up to 3 months.