Description of the attraction
The Red Fort, or as it is also called Lal Qila, was built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. By his order, in 1639, the construction of a fortress began in the new capital of the state, which was transferred to Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) from Agra. It was completed in 1648, and initially the citadel was named "Kila-i-Mubarak", which means "blessed fortress", but as new buildings appeared in the fort, a new name appeared.
Lal-Kila is a large complex of buildings, which housed the family of the ruler and about three thousand courtiers and nobles. Built from red sandstone, this architectural monument has a characteristic bright brick-red color, which gave the new name to the fortress. It was built in the Muslim style, has the shape of an irregular octagon, and the height of its walls ranges from 16 to 33 meters. The interior decoration of the fortress buildings fully corresponded to the imperial status of its inhabitants. Carved columns of incredible beauty, the walls of the halls decorated with graceful ornaments and mosaics of marble slabs, neat domes and openwork forged lattices made the Red Fort a unique monument of Mughal architecture.
As already mentioned, the red Fort is a system of several parts, the most significant of which were the Divan-i-Aam courtyard and the Divan-i-Khas hall, where the emperor received visitors, the personal apartments of the ruler Nahr-i-Behisht, women's quarters (zenans Mumtaz Mahal and Rang Mahal), the luxurious Hayat Bakhsh Bagh Garden and the famous Moti Pearl Mosque, entirely made of snow-white marble.
Today, there are several museums on the territory of the fortress.
The Red Fort still remains an important place for the people of India, and not only because of the huge tourist flow, but also because every year on August 15, on Independence Day, it is there that the Prime Minister of India reads his address to the people.
