India

Agra Fort

WHS Score 3.54
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Agra Fort is a highlight in Indo-Islamic Mughal art and architecture.

The fortress enclosed the imperial city of the Mughal rulers, who ruled from there until 1638. Entered by monumental gates, it holds a large number of palaces and two white marble mosques. The original complex was built by Emperor Akbar in red sandstone; major monuments executed in marble were added by Shah Jahan in the 17th century.

Community Perspective: It lies close to the Taj Mahal and is better visited first, as otherwise, it can only disappoint. Visit it for an insight into the lifestyle of the Mughal rulers.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Agra Fort (ID: 251)
Country
India
Status
Inscribed 1983 Site history
History of Agra Fort
1983: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Secular structure: Military and Fortifications
  • Secular structure: Palace
Travel Information
Agra and Delhi hotspot
Recent Connections
View all (21) .
Connections of Agra Fort
Individual People
Geography
  • Ganges Basin
    On banks of Yamuna River (joins the Ganges at Allahabad)
Trivia
History
  • Eunuchs
  • The British East India Company (EIC)
    Was captured from the Marathas in 1803 by forces of the British EIC. They turned it into a garrison for EIC soldiers and demolished a number of the buildings inside. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against EIC rule the EIC forces were besieged inside the fort
  • Located in a Former Capital
    Agra, the former capital of Mughal Empire (1526 - 1658)
  • Mughal Empire
    The great Mughals Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb lived here, and the country was governed from here.
Architecture
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • Notable mosques
    Mina Masjid (Heavenly Mosque), Pearl Mosque, Nagina Masjid (Gem Mosque)
Constructions
  • Harem
    "North of this entrance sits the fort's largest private residence, the Jahangiri Mahal, built as a harem for Jahangir.
Timeline
  • Built in the 17th century
    significant for the Moghul rule in the 17th century (AB), current buildings were constructed during the reign of Shah Jahan 1628-1658
WHS Hotspots
Visiting conditions
  • Foreigner prices
    Indian Visitors:Total Rs.40.00 Citizen of SAARC and BIMSTEC countries: Total Rs.80/- Other Foreign Visitor Total Rs.550/-

    See asi.nic.in

News
timesofindia.indiatimes.com 08/22/2015
Debris gone, archaeologists find p…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com 11/19/2014
Army presence hampering conservati…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com 07/17/2014
Army not to vacate Agra Fort after…
Recent Visitors
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Visitors of Agra Fort
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Community Reviews

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First published: 22/09/24.

Alikander99

Agra Fort

Agra Fort (Inscribed)

Agra Fort by Alikander99

I agree with the general sentiment that the red fort and agra Fort are virtually indistinguishable. No doubt helped by the fact that both have significant historical overlap in their structures.

Weirdly enough, I remember agra Fort as more interesting than the red fort, but when checking back the photos I tend to like the red fort better. Overall I think both have a place in the list as examplary complexes. Imo the most diferenciating aspect, and one that I particularly enjoyed was the persistence of some akbarite architecture in Agra. In this sense I think Agra Fort showcases the changes in earlier mughal architecture much better than Delhi.

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First published: 08/05/24.

Campmany

Agra Fort

Agra Fort (Inscribed)

Agra Fort by campmany

Most visitors likely visit the place after seeing the Taj Mahal. This might impact the overall impression after visiting such an incredible monument. Nevertheless, the Fort is quite impressive, this is a huge fortification with several gardens and palaces inside it. Some buildings have nice views of the Taj Mahal far away. I visited the fort at 9.30 in the morning on a Saturday, there were no queues and I enjoyed visiting most of the places empty of visitors. No "official" guides outside the gate to offer their services, so overall very enjoyble experience.

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First published: 19/09/22.

Jean Lecaillon

Agra Fort

Agra Fort (Inscribed)

Agra Fort by Jean Lecaillon

The Agra Fort is a huge fort very similar to the Red fort in delhi. To be honnest, i'm not able to distinguish either one if i had two pictures in front of me. But, contrary to the red fort, i visited this one. 

It's quiet interesting but not so much beautiful compared to all the indian monuments they can build. I mean it's not the best souvenir i had in India. However, the size of the red stones are impressive. And it's rare i guess: you can see another WHS from this WHS! It's obviously the famous Taj Mahal, along the Yamuna river. We could start a thread on the forum about such possibility: to see a WHS from another one? :) (maybe it already exists, i didn't verify)

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First published: 07/09/12.

Clyde

Agra Fort

Agra Fort (Inscribed)

Agra Fort by Clyde

Similar to the Red Fort in Delhi but still worth visiting. I visited this WHS in December 2011 and was struck by the architecture of this site, especially the several arches adorning the courtyards. Beware of the seemingly innocent monkeys around the site. My camera zoom lens was split-seconds away from being bitten by one of the monkeys, but as soon as I was pressing the button to take a picture I noticed a sudden movement and luckily my instinct told me to move sideways. That way the monkey attack wasn't successful and instead I ended up with a very close-up photo of an angry monkey showing off its fangs!

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First published: 27/09/06.

Frederik Dawson

Agra Fort

Agra Fort (Inscribed)

Agra Fort by Frederik Dawson

Agra Fort, an enormous red sandstone fortress on the bank of Yamuna River in the center of Agra. This fort is not just a military fortress, but also an imperial palace that was a power center of the whole Mogul Empire.

I visited Agra Fort on such a very important day, the day that Taj Mahal celebrated her 350th birthday. The celebration for Taj Mahal, but Indians celebrated in Agra Fort! Why? The answer is Indian Supreme Court did not allow celebrating in Taj Mahal so the celebrations have to move to the Fort. I do not understand the logic, the court want to protect Taj Mahal, a world heritage site, but they allow a grand party in Agra Fort which also a world heritage site and should receive equally protection! When I visited, the Hall of Public Audience was full with electronic machines that will make light and sound for the party, a lot of chairs and many polices, it was a really messy place. Thankfully that all such mess was not expand to other areas, the palace was still amazingly calm and made my mood back to normal. The palace in Agra Fort can be divided into two sections based on material, red sandstone and marble. The red sandstone buildings mean they were built before Shah Jahan or early years of his reign, the marble means they were built by Shah Jahan, an emperor who built Taj Mahal. The marble sections are absolutely breathtaking with marble inlay with …

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First published: 01/05/05.

Christer Sundberg

Agra Fort

Agra Fort (Inscribed)

Agra Fort by Christer Sundberg

The Agra Fort - the second of the city of Agra’s main tourist attractions – was founded in 1565 and is a virtual copy of the Red Fort in Delhi. My understanding is that the latter is now also underway to also become a World Heritage Site, which is not more than fair.

The Agra Fort is huge and still mainly occupied by the Indian Army. Its massive sandstone walls rise over 20 meters and 2,5 km in circumference. Inside the fort you find different palaces and semi-palaces, Harem quarters, Halls of Public and Private Audiences and everything else needed to run an Empire in 15th century India. And also the Musamman Burj, were the aging emperor Shah Jahan spent his last years and where he lay on his death bed, gazing at the distant Taj Mahal where his long lost love, Mumtaz Mahal was buried.

The Agra Fort is an interesting visit but one can’t help that after having visited Agra’s major attraction, the Taj Mahal, it’s hard to see the same beauty in this still very exquisite palace. My recommendation when visiting Agra is that you FIRST visit the Agra Fort and then the Taj Mahal. Otherwise the almost unreal beauty of the Taj might distance you completely from what beauty the Agra Fort actually has to offer you.

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