Various rulers have built as many as 9 forts in Delhi over the centuries. Some forts are in tip-top condition while a few are in complete ruins.
- Red Fort or Lal Qila
- Salimgarh Fort
- Old Fort or Indraprastha
- Siri Fort
- Qila Rai Pithora or Quila Lal Kot
- Tughlaqabad Fort
- Adilabad Fort
- Feroz Shah Kotla Fort
- Nai ka Kot
Firoz Shah Kotla Fort is the citadel of Firoz Shah who belonged to the Tughlak dynasty that ruled Delhi in the medieval period and built the 5th of the 9 cities that together form Old Delhi today. Later New Delhi was added and today along with the NCR regions like Gurugram and Noida make Delhi one of the top 5 urban conglomerates of the World.
I donтАЩt know about Rome but Delhi is being built every day without discontinuities beginning several thousand years ago. The pillar from the Ashokan era of 600 BCE is present inside the fort bearing testimony to this.
As per the tour guide and also as clearly mentioned on a plaque installed nearby this fort was looted by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan to built his own city called Shahjahanabad. The sole purpose of these kings who landed up in India was to plunder the riches available so infighting was inevitable. As a result, only a few walls and ruins of various structures like the palace and administrative offices are seen inside the fort complex.
The cobbled pathways that take visitors to every interesting place in the fort complex are also the most admirable part of this monument.
The only structures that are relatively intact are a mosque and a stepwell. The mosque is accessible after climbing 12-15 steps and the entrance looks very attractive. Nomadic conqueror Timur the Lame was impressed with the design and as part of the loot taken away the masons who built the mosque with him to Uzbekistan and built a similar mosque in his hometown Samarkand.
The entry to the fort is cashless and no paper tickets are issued. I scanned a QR code that took me to the Archeological Survey of India or ASI website for this fort where I could pay using net banking and got another QR code that was, in turn, scanned with a handhold canner by the security to allow me the entry.
Have you been to a fort recently or in the past that is located right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a city? IтАЩd be interested in knowing your experiences.
Until thenтАж Happy guiding
Accessibility Features
Accessibility features for differently-abled are available everywhere in the fort right from the main entrance all the way to the various parts like the Mosque steps, various ruins, and the stepwell, etc.
Accessibility features of more forts and historical monuments in Delhi are highlighted in this meetup recap.
HereтАЩs a snapshot:
Ramp Access.
A wheelchair-accessible Entrance.
A wheelchair-accessible Parking.
A wheelchair-accessible Restroom/Toilet.
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