Red Fort at Agra

9/21/09

The Red Fort at Agra was a huge fort in Agra, India that Emperor Akbar of the Mughal Empire built. Akbar started construction in 1565 and chose Akbar, which bordered the River Yamuna, as the Mughal Empire's capital. The Red Fort is basically its own city, it is made up of enormous red sandstones and monuments and has huge walls surrounding it. The fort is one of the largest Mughal fortified residences, and is 2.5 km northwest of the Taj Mahal. The Red Fort India's most important fort because the Mughal Emperors governed from the Red Fort, and emperors like Babur, Akbar and Aurengzeb inhabited the Red Fort. 

Economic:

Like Dr. Freddo Avis said in his blog post, Akbar's renovated Red Fort was a symbol of the  economic power and prosperity that the Mughal Empire enjoyed. Akbar presided over the Mughal Empire in its heyday. But the economic success the Mughals must have been enjoying was probably dampened a bit by the construction of this fort. A fort this big and of this importance, it being similar to the Taj Mahal, must have taken a lot out of the empire's pocket. Nevertheless, the construction of this building signified that the Mughals had a lot of cash to throw around at the time. 

Political:

The Red Fort played a huge role in politics in the Mughal Empire because it was where the emperor lived and the political decisions went down. This was the center of manufactured Mughal money and the overseeing of money because the biggest treasury and mint were in the Red Fort. The Red Fort also housed the most important foreign dignitaries and the people who helped mold the history of India. 

Debate:

I definitely agree that the Red Fort was an important figure in the Mughal Empire, but over the years the Taj Mahal has emerged as more of an Indian symbol. The Taj Mahal has become more of a national symbol, however it is more of a tourist symbol and a monument that marked the start of the downfall of the Mughal Empire. The Red Fort has receded as the Mughal Empire fell and is not nearly as well known as its more recent sister monument, the Taj Mahal. 

Citations:

http://www.agraindia.org.uk/agra-fort/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra_Fort