At the end of the festival, our group split. Some went home to Chennai and the rest of us headed on to Agra, with a stop at that fiesty Mughal Emperor Akbar's old stomping grounds, Fatehpur Sikri (and here). I wrote about this fascinating old city after we visited back in July, so this post will mostly be photos.
It was a beautiful day, and the red sandstone stood out against the blue sky. There were also a ton of people there, and even without kids along our group attracted some attention. It's tough to be so gorgeous. Actually, the real issue is that I'm constantly hanging out with beautiful people. If it's not my kids, it's Kristin or Kristina or Cheryl. Sheesh. When will I get a break?
Fatehpur Sikri is full of beautiful little architectural details, especially carving. These photos were taken in the Harem Sara, where the emperor's wives were imprisoned, er ... I mean lived in luxury.
The ladies got to peek out at the rest of the palace complex through this screened balcony ...
This is a view looking down from the palace complex to one of the city's bazaars ...
More incredible carving in the house of one of Akbar's chief wives ...
Kristin and arches ... Every square inch of this house was decorated with carvings.
The "stables," which archealogists now think were used to house ladies' servants and not horses ... They think ropes and curtains were put up between the pillars (using those round openings in the bottom left) for privacy. They also think the same space might have been used for ladies' bazaars, so they wouldn't have to leave the palace complex to shop. Because who doesn't want to be screened from the rest of the world 24/7? I used to claim the need for Target runs as an excuse to get out of the house for a bit. Not allowed in the 16th century ...
Here's a pretty good view of the Pachisi Courtyard, where Akbar is supposed to have played the game using slaves as playing pieces.
Here are some photos of the mysterious Diwan-i-Khas. It's mysterious because no one knows for what the oddly arranged room was really used. It's a big open room with an ornate, huge pillar in the center that supports a platfrom with four raised walkays leading to it. Some say it was a jewel house. Some say it was used for debates. Only Akbar could say for sure ...
The Panch Mahal ...
This cool doorway leads out of ... the bathroom. Doesn't it look awesome?
A couple of us went over to see the Jama Masjid mosque, but we didn't have time to do much exploring inside. The main feature here was the incredibly annoying vendor who would not leave Kristina alone, no matter how rude she got. No one wants your cheap bangles, buddy.
The burial site of a Sufi saint on the mosque's grounds ...
I've been to Fatehpur Sikri twice, and both times I wished we had more time. It's awkwardly located an hour out of Agra and four hours from Jaipur, so it's always a side trip. It's definitely worth the stop, and more time if you've got it.
It was a beautiful day, and the red sandstone stood out against the blue sky. There were also a ton of people there, and even without kids along our group attracted some attention. It's tough to be so gorgeous. Actually, the real issue is that I'm constantly hanging out with beautiful people. If it's not my kids, it's Kristin or Kristina or Cheryl. Sheesh. When will I get a break?
Fatehpur Sikri is full of beautiful little architectural details, especially carving. These photos were taken in the Harem Sara, where the emperor's wives were imprisoned, er ... I mean lived in luxury.
The ladies got to peek out at the rest of the palace complex through this screened balcony ...
This is a view looking down from the palace complex to one of the city's bazaars ...
More incredible carving in the house of one of Akbar's chief wives ...
Kristin and arches ... Every square inch of this house was decorated with carvings.
The "stables," which archealogists now think were used to house ladies' servants and not horses ... They think ropes and curtains were put up between the pillars (using those round openings in the bottom left) for privacy. They also think the same space might have been used for ladies' bazaars, so they wouldn't have to leave the palace complex to shop. Because who doesn't want to be screened from the rest of the world 24/7? I used to claim the need for Target runs as an excuse to get out of the house for a bit. Not allowed in the 16th century ...
Here's a pretty good view of the Pachisi Courtyard, where Akbar is supposed to have played the game using slaves as playing pieces.
Here are some photos of the mysterious Diwan-i-Khas. It's mysterious because no one knows for what the oddly arranged room was really used. It's a big open room with an ornate, huge pillar in the center that supports a platfrom with four raised walkays leading to it. Some say it was a jewel house. Some say it was used for debates. Only Akbar could say for sure ...
The Panch Mahal ...
This cool doorway leads out of ... the bathroom. Doesn't it look awesome?
A couple of us went over to see the Jama Masjid mosque, but we didn't have time to do much exploring inside. The main feature here was the incredibly annoying vendor who would not leave Kristina alone, no matter how rude she got. No one wants your cheap bangles, buddy.
The burial site of a Sufi saint on the mosque's grounds ...
I've been to Fatehpur Sikri twice, and both times I wished we had more time. It's awkwardly located an hour out of Agra and four hours from Jaipur, so it's always a side trip. It's definitely worth the stop, and more time if you've got it.
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