Purana Qila

Purana Qila, or the Old Fort, stands as one of the oldest forts in Delhi, with its current structure primarily attributed to the second Mughal Emperor Humayun and the Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri. Humayun began the construction of the city Dinpanah in 1533, but after his defeat in 1540, Sher Shah Suri took control, renaming the citadel Shergarh and adding several significant structures, including the magnificent Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque. Following Sher Shah's death, Humayun eventually recaptured the fort in 1555, only to meet a tragic end a year later after falling from the stairs of the Sher Mandal library within the complex. Beyond the medieval era, archaeological excavations at the site have yielded artifacts dating back to the 3rd century BCE, during the Mauryan Empire. Many historians believe the fort occupies the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas from the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. The layers of history found here represent a continuous settlement pattern spanning over 2,500 years, making it a unique chronological record of Delhi's urban evolution. In more recent history, the fort played a poignant role during the 1947 Partition of India. It served as a massive refugee camp for thousands of people migrating between the newly formed nations of India and Pakistan. Today, the fort's massive walls, which reach heights of up to 18 meters, and its three imposing gateways serve as a silent witness to the rise and fall of empires, blending the rugged military architecture of the Suri dynasty with the refined aesthetic sensibilities of the early Mughals.