The Mughal Emperor, Humayun, built the city of Dinapanah in the 16th century, which took about five years to complete. The Old Fort was initially constructed as a citadel in this city.
Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan ruler, who defeated Humayun, renamed this structure as Shergarh he later added on a few other buildings within the premises of the fort. One of them is the magnificent mosque, Qila Kuhna Masjid, built in about 1540.
Mainly made up of bright white marble; this building also contains red sandstone. An octagonal shaped building, the Sher Mandal was also built on the premises. It had two stories and climbing up a flight of sheer vertical steps could access the roof.
When Humayun recaptured his kingdom from the invaders in about 1555, he converted the Sher Mandal to his library. It was on these very steep steps that Humayun fell to his death years later.
The Old Fort had three entrances leading up to it out of which two were shut down earlier. As of today only the main gate, the Bada Darwaja, is open to the public. The Old Fort in Delhi is a clear example of the tasteful architectural skill of the masons in the Mughal times.
It is one of the city's most famous tourist spots and is open to the public for visiting. The Old Fort has a calm mystical interior that is soothing to visitors as it provides refuge from the noise and bustle on the streets outside. |
