Fatehpur Sikri

Akbar chose Sikri, home of the Chishti saint Shaikh Salim, as the site of his new capital; according to India's Ministry of Tourism the city is believed to have been built after the saint blessed the emperor with sons. UNESCO dates the main construction to 1571 to 1585. The Jama Masjid was the first building on the ridge, completed in 1571 to 1572, and the Buland Darwaza was added around 1575 to mark Akbar's victory in Gujarat.

Shaikh Salim Chishti's tomb in the mosque courtyard was completed in 1580 to 1581 and further decorated under Jahangir in 1606. In 1585 Akbar left for Lahore, and Fatehpur Sikri was afterwards visited by Mughal emperors only occasionally. UNESCO, which inscribed the site in 1986, notes that its planning influenced later Mughal cities such as Shahjahanabad in Delhi and calls it an exceptional testimony to Mughal civilisation at the end of the 16th century.

The dargah of Shaikh Salim Chishti is the spiritual heart of Fatehpur Sikri. Pilgrims, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, come to pray for blessings, especially for children, echoing the story of Akbar's own wish. Qawwali singers sometimes perform in the courtyard, and the small town at the foot of the ridge lives largely from the visitors who climb up to the mosque and palaces.