ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION

NAR-903E

TOPIC: RED FORT, DELHI

CASE STUDY

SUBMITTED TO:
AR. AKSHITA BHATT

SUBMITTED BY:
ALI RAZA
1532781005
 RED FORT, DELHI

Location: Old Delhi, India Area: 254.67 acres

Built By: Shah Jahan Architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
Built in the Year:1648
Purpose: Main residence of Mughal emperors
Architectural styles: Mughal, Indo-Islamic
Current Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site

History
Shah Jahan, the then Mughal emperor decided to build the Red Fort as the
citadel of Shahjahanabad, his new capital at Delhi. The fort, which was
completely constructed in the year 1648, remained the residence of the
Mughal emperors until 1857. Post the reign of Aurangzeb, the Mughal dynasty
grew weaker in every aspect and that started taking a toll on the fort. When
Farrukhsiyar, the ninth Mughal emperor, took over the reign from Jahandar
Shah after murdering him, the fort began to lose its luster, quite literally.
During his reign, the silver ceiling of the fort was replaced with copper in order
to raise money. This was probably the beginning of the plunder that would go
on for years to come. In 1739, Nadir Shah, the Persian emperor defeated the
Mughals and took with him some of the valuables belonging to the fort,
including the famous peacock throne, which had served as the royal throne of
the Mughals.

Layout of the Fort

 The Red Fort is spread across an area of 254.67 acres.

 The defensive wall, enclosing the fort, is measured at 2.41 kilometers.

The walls differ in height as they stand at 18 meters on the river side as
opposed to the 33 meter high wall on the city side.

 The fort rises above a wide dry moat in the northeast corner of the
medieval city of Shahjahanabad.
  The main entrance of the fort (Lahori Gate) opens at the ‘Chatta Chowk’,
a covered street bordered with arched cells that used to house Delhi's
most talented jewelers, carpet makers, weavers and goldsmiths.

 This covered passage was also known as the ‘Meena Bazaar’, which
served as the shopping center for the ladies belonging to the court.

 The ‘Naubat Khana’ or the Drum House is situated a few meters away
from the ‘Chatta Chowk’.

 The musicians would play for the emperor from the ‘Naubat Khana’ and
the arrival of princesses and the royalty were heralded from here.

Architectural Style

The Red Fort was built by the legendary architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, who is
believed to have built the world famous Taj Mahal. The fort is considered a
creative structure and as the pinnacle of Mughal inventiveness. Red Fort has
many structures that serve as fine examples of Islamic architectural style and
Mughal architecture, which fuses the architectural styles of the Timurids and
the Persians. The Red Fort is known for its gardens (most of which were
destroyed by the British) and a water channel called the Stream of Paradise.
This water channel connects many pavilions, an architectural style owned by
the Mughals. This kind of architecture went on to inspire the construction of
many edifices and gardens in the post-independence era. The fort was also
embellished with floral decorations and precious ornaments. It is said that the
Kohinoor diamond was part of the decoration that made the interiors look
ostentatious.

Prominent Structures within the Fort

Though as many as 66 percent of the structures within the fort were either
destroyed or badly damaged, the Red Fort still houses many historic edifices
and some prominent ones are listed below:

Nahr-i- Behisht – The imperial apartments consist of a row of pavilions on a

raised platform along the eastern edge of the fort, overlooking the Yamuna.
The pavilions are connected by a canal, known as the Nahr-i- Behisht ("Stream
of Paradise"), running through the centre of each pavilion. Water is drawn
from the Yamuna via a tower, the Shahi Burj, at the northeast corner of the
fort. The palace is designed to emulate paradise as described in the Quran. In
the riverbed below the imperial apartments and connected buildings was a
space known as zer-jharokha ("beneath the latticework").
Mumtaz Mahal – Situated in the women's quarters (zenana) of the fort,
Mumtaz Mahal was one of the six palaces within the fort. All these palaces
were built along the banks of Yamuna River and were interconnected by the
Stream of Paradise. The Mumtaz Mahal was constructed using white marble
and embellished with floral decorations. During the British rule, it was put to
use as prison camp. Today, Red Fort Archaeological Museum has been set up
inside this impressive building.

Khas Mahal - The Khas Mahal was used as the emperor’s private residence.
The palace was divided into three parts namely the chamber of telling beads,
sitting room and sleeping chamber. The palace was decorated with white
marble and floral embellishments and the ceiling was gilded. Khas Mahal was
connected to ‘Muthamman Burj’, a tower from where the emperor would
address his subjects or simply wave at them to acknowledge their presence.

Rang Mahal – The Rang Mahal which literally translates to ‘Palace of Colors’
was built to house the emperor’s mistresses and wives. As the name suggests,
the palace was made to look colorful with bright paints and ostentatious
decorations. A marble basin, which was installed at the center of the palace,
would welcome water flowing from the Stream of Paradise. A basement, under
the palace, was used by the women to cool off during the summer.

Hira Mahal – Built in 1842 by Bahadur Shah II, the Hira Mahal is probably one
of the last structures to have been built by a Mughal emperor before the
invasion of the British. It is a mere pavilion but has an interesting legend
associated with it. According to the legend, Shah Jahan had hidden a diamond,
meant for his first wife, in this very place. The diamond, which is not yet found,
is said to be even more precious than the famed Kohinoor.

Moti Masjid – Moti Masjid which literally translates to ‘Pearl Mosque’ was
built by Aurangzeb for his personal use. Interestingly, the mosque was also
used by the inhabitants of the Zenana. Constructed using white marble, Moti
Masjid has three domes and three arches.

Hammam – The Hammam is basically a building that housed the baths, used
by the emperors. On the eastern apartment, stood the dressing room. In the
western apartment, hot water used to flow through the taps. It is said that
perfumed rose water was used for bathing purpose. The interiors of Hammam
were embellished with floral designs and white marble.