Capital of India under the Mughals in the 16th and 17th centuries, and its superb monuments date from this era.

Described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, this poignant Mughal mausoleum has become the de facto tourist emblem of India. It was constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, whose death in childbirth in 1631 left the emperor so heartbroken, that his hair is said to have turned grey overnight.

Experts who were brought from Europe, had a hand in the Taj's decoration - which allowed the British to delude themselves for some time that such an exquisite building must certainly have been designed by a European.

This magnificent fortified ghost city was the capital of the Mughal Empire between 1571 to 1585, during the reign of Emperor Akbar. A few years earlier, it had been nothing more that a stonecutters' village.

The city was abandoned as suddenly and dramatically as it had been built, possible due to difficulties with the water supply. Akbar moved his capital to Lahore and within 20 years Fatehpur Sikri was deserted and has remained that way ever since. When Akbar returned to the area in 1598 he set up shop in Agra, which led some to conclude that the city had been nothing more than an emperor's whim.

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