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Loading…Purana Qila
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Photos: Moheen Reeyad (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Varun Shiv Kapur (CC BY 2.0) · Biswarup Ganguly (CC BY 3.0)
A 16th-century citadel on Mathura Road linked with Humayun and Sher Shah Suri. Excavations here show settlement going back about 3,000 years.
Humayun began the fort in 1538 as part of his city Dinpanah, and Sher Shah Suri strengthened it after defeating him. Its massive walls have three arched gates, and the Bara Darwaza on the west side is still the entrance. Inside are the Qila-i-Kuhna mosque, built by Sher Shah in 1541, and the octagonal Sher Mandal, where Humayun is said to have died after a fall in 1556. ASI digs in several phases since 1954 found Painted Grey Ware and traces of habitation from Mauryan to Mughal times, and the finds are shown in the on-site museum.
Highlights
- Bara Darwaza
- Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque
- Sher Mandal
- Humayun Gate and Talaqi Gate
- Archaeological Museum and excavation site
- Lal Darwaza (Sher Shah Gate) across Mathura Road
Tips
- Delhi Zoo is next door, and Humayun's Tomb is a short ride south.
Around it
Within 1 km of Purana Qila.
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