About

The Red Fort was built by Emperor Shah Jahan when he shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi. It was constructed over a 10 year period ending in 1648. The Red Fort's boundary walls are asymmetric, to accommodate the older Salimgarh fort within it. The Yamuna river runs along the eastern wall of the fort. The Red Fort spans an area of 254.67 acres and is enclosed by 2.41 kilometers of walls. The walls are reinforced with turrets and bastions. The height of the walls varies in height from 18 meters on the river-facing side to 33 meters on the city-facing side. The fort is octagonal, with the north–south axis longer than the east–west axis.

One can see the blending of Indo-Islamic, Timurid, Hindu, and Persian forms of architecture in several facets of the Red Fort. It’s made up of red sandstone and houses several buildings such as the private pavilions, the Diwan-i-Aam, the Diwan-i-Khas, and the Moti Masjid.

The Lahori Gate is the main entrance to the Red Fort in Delhi, built about mid-way into the 660m long western wall. The gateway consists of three stories, each decorated with square, rectangular and cusped arched panels. These are flanked by semi-octagonal towers crowned by two open octagonal pavilions. The whole gate is clad in red sandstone, except the roofs of the pavilions, where white stone is used. Between the two pavilions is a screen of miniature chhatris having seven miniature marble domes.
The gate was provided with a 10.5 high metre barbican by Emperor Aurangzeb, with its entrance to the north.

The Naubat Khana, or Naqqar Khana, served as the drum house and waiting hall. It marked the separation of the outer courtyard (connecting to the Meena Bazar near the gate) from the inner courtyard which housed the Diwan-e-Aam. The ground plan is a rectangular structure of about 30mx20m, consisting of three large stories. The construction material is red sandstone, the surface covered in white lime plaster. It has richly carved floral designs on its red sandstone walls. The entire inner courtyard was once surrounded by an arcade with the Naubat Khana as its entrance gate. This arcaded was later demolished, leaving the Naubat Khana as a standalone structure.

The Diwan-e-Aam or the Public Audience Hall was used to oversee official matters brought forth by commoners. It stands in a courtyard measuring approximately 60m x 135m. The courtyard was surrounded by galleries. It has columns and engrailed arches with fine stucco ornamentation. The courtyard behind it leads to the imperial apartments. A raised recess at the rear of the pavilion has a marble balcony seated upon which the emperor received citizens and commoners. A marble dais just below the throne was reserved for the Prime Minister. The panels behind the marble balcony bear pietra dura decorations and are ascribed to Austin de Bordeaux, a Florentine jeweler.
The hall is 50m x 25m and divided into 27 bays (9 wide and 3 deep) on a system of columns which support the arches. It was ornamented by gilded stucco work and had curtains hanging from the roof. The roof is spanned by sandstone beams.

The Diwan-e-Khaas (hall of Private Audience) was a space dedicated to addressing the official matters and requests of the nobility and members of the royal family. It is much smaller than the Diwan-e-Aam, measuring 30mx20m. It consists of a rectangular central chamber, surrounded by a series of arches rising from marble piers. The lower parts of the piers are inlaid with floral designs, while the upper portions are painted and gilded. There are five arches along its longer face, separated by ornate and slender columns, with an overhanging eave above. The four corners of the roof are surmounted by pillared chhatris with domed roof topped by finials. It is constructed of white marble. The once-silver ceiling has been restored in wood. The nahar-i-bihisht flowed through the centre of the hall.

The Khas Mahal was the Emperor's private palace. It stands to the immediate south of the Diwan-e-Khas. The palace consists of three parts. The set of three rooms facing the Diwan-e-Khas was called the 'Tasbih Khana' (chamber of rosary beads) and was used for the Emperor's private worship. The three rooms behind it were known as the Khwabgah (Chamber of Dreams, or the Bedroom). To the south of the Khwabgah is the Tosh Khana also known as the Baithak (robing chamber or sitting room). It is a long hall with painted walls and ceilings, and a perforated screen on the west/ A beautiful perforated marnle screen carved with the 'Scales of Justice' motif adorns its northern wall.
The projecting tower to the east of Khas Mahal is called the Muthamman burj. The Emperor used to give audience to the citizens outside the fort from the balcony of this tower.

The Hammam was the imperial bath. It has three domed rooms with white marble patterned floors. It has three apartments separated by corridors and crowned with domes. The apartments are illuminated by a coloured glass skylight. The two rooms flanking the entrance are served as bathing spaces for the royal children. The eastern apartment, featuring three fountain basins, was primarily used as a dressing room. Each room had a central fountain, and one included a marble reservoir embedded in the wall. According to legend, perfumed rose-water once flowed from the taps. The western apartment was designated for hot or vapour baths, with heating arrangements installed in its western wall.

The Zafar Mahal with the twin pavilions Sawan and Bhadon, on the south and north respectively, are the key features of the Hayat Baksh garden on the north, laid out in the typical chaar-bagh style of Mughal Gardens, with a pool sunk in its center. Zafar Mahal stands in the middle of this pool, and can only be accessed by water. The garden with the three pavilions is ascribed to the reign of Bahadur Shah Zafar, along with the Heera Mahal.
The Heera Mahal (Diamond Palace) is a pavilion located on the northern edge of the Hayat Baksh garden. It was constructed under the patronage of Bahadur Shah II. An octagonal tower with a domed cupola on top, known as the Shahi Burj, stands at the north east corner of this garden, connected to Heera Mahal.The nahar-i-bihisht was a channel that was fed by water lifted from the river up to the Shahi Burj. This channel was connected to various palaces in the fort complex and used to keep the chambers cool.

The Moti Masjid is one of the few buildings attributed to Aurangzeb. It was commissioned to provide the emperor a mosque for prayer closer to his private chambers. The Moti Masjid consists of a prayer hall and courtyard, contained in a walled enclosure which is about 12m x 15m on the outside. The enclosure walls are made of red sandstone, and are of notable height, obstructing the view of the structures within. The walls also vary in thickness, compensating for the mosque's orientation - the exterior walls align with the axes of the Red Fort, while the interior walls are aligned towards Mecca. The compound is raised slightly above ground level and entered from the east, accessed by a staircase. The prayer hall (the main mosque building), a three-bayed structure divided into two aisles. The structure also has corridors for use by the ladies of the court. The facade of the prayer hall features three arches on piers, as well as a curvilinear eave (bangla chhajja). The mosque building is topped by three pointed domes, sitting on constricted necks, aligned with the arches in the facade. These domes were originally of gilded copper which were replaced by those of white marble in the 19th century.

The Mumtaz Mahal and Rang Mahal are two pavilions on the southern side of the fort, along the eastern wall overlooking the Yamuna. These are women's quarters (zenana). Mumtaz Mahal was built for Arjumand Banu Begum (Mumtaz Mahal), the wife of the Emperor Shahjahan, and the larger Rang Mahal was for other royal women.
The Mumtaz Mahal is one of the six main palaces that were situated facing the Yamuna River. It was constructed with white marble in the lower half of its walls and pillars. It is divided into six apartments by arched piers. It was originally painted with floral decorations on the interior.
Rang Mahal (Palace of Colours) was so named for its vibrant paintings and intricate decorations, including a mosaic of mirrors. It has five arches along its longer face, divided by broad columns. It also has pillared chhatris at the four corners of the roof,

The Delhi Gate is the secondary entrance to the fort, on the southern wall. There are two life-sized stone elephants positioned to face each other on either side of the gate.

The Meena Bazar is a barrel-vaulted structure located just inside the Lahore Gate. It served as a market catering to the needs of high-ranking Mughal women and other residents of the fort. It is a 60 meters long arcade with 32 arched bays.

Trivia

Independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, raised the Indian flag atop the Lahori Gate on the occasion of India's independence on 15th August, 1947. Since then, the incumbent Prime Minister has raised the Indian tricolor at the Red Fort on every 15th of August, and delivered a speech to the nation.

The fort's design is attributed to Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who also designed the Taj Mahal.