Agra Fort or Agra Red Fort is an iconic tourist attraction ranking right below Taj Mahal in Agra. Until the middle of 17th century, this fort was the royal residence of Mughal emperors. Later, the capital was shifted to Delhi. The fort is more of a walled city. Today, it stands as an important tourist attraction and icon of culture of the country.

The fort is open from 6 in the morning to 6:30 in the evening. The fort is best visited during morning or early evening to get a great panoramic view of the city with Taj Mahal. From one of the towers of the fort, one can get a good view of the wonder. It is said that Shah Jahan spent his last 8 years of life in the tower watching Taj Mahal. The fort is open throughout the week. People choose winter for its pleasing climate.

Why Red Fort is so famous ?

The fort stretches for 380,000 square meter with a semi-circle layout. The fort has double ramparts with circular bastions. There are four gates to the fort and one of the gates (Khizri Gate) opens to the river. The Lahore Gate is also called as Amar Singh Gate. It is the main entrance for public today. The Delhi Gate faces the western side of the fort and was built by Akbar to increase the security of the fort. It was the royal entrance to the fort. The gate is decorated with marble inlay work. Once inside the gate, you will find elephant gate, which has two life-sized elephant statues. Delhi Gate is not open to tourists as it is still under the control of Indian Army. Tourists have to enter via Lahore Gate or Amar Singh Gate.According to history, there were 500 buildings inside the fort. Some say there were more than thousand buildings inside the fort during Akbar’s period. Many were destroyed by Shah Jahan to build marble palace and many were destroyed by British. Today, 30 buildings stand inside the fort.