The Red Fort (Lal Qila) in the northern Indian city of Delhi is a fortress and palace from the era of the Mughal empire. It was built in 1639-1648 for the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and is since 2007 a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It took its name from the characteristic red color of the walls used for the sandstone.
The Red Fort is situated on the eastern edge of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad). The fort site is located along the former right bank of the Yamuna, which flows today but a few hundred yards further east. From north to south, it takes nearly a kilometer in the east-west distance about 500 meters.
It was originally designed as a rectangle with an aspect ratio 3:4 with chamfered corners. In fact, it jumps out in the north but triangular, since the ambient wall would have otherwise formed an acute angle with the old river bed of the Yamuna, which formed at this point a small bow. A massive wall surrounds the grounds. The east, west and south sides of the wall is exactly aligned to the compass.
The Red Fort is situated on the eastern edge of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad). The fort site is located along the former right bank of the Yamuna, which flows today but a few hundred yards further east. From north to south, it takes nearly a kilometer in the east-west distance about 500 meters.
It was originally designed as a rectangle with an aspect ratio 3:4 with chamfered corners. In fact, it jumps out in the north but triangular, since the ambient wall would have otherwise formed an acute angle with the old river bed of the Yamuna, which formed at this point a small bow. A massive wall surrounds the grounds. The east, west and south sides of the wall is exactly aligned to the compass.
