fort
and the red palace. There is an unusually imposing gateway on one side
of Fatehpur-Sikri, leading up to the mosque, but we made our entrance
from the adjacent side; hence our first view was like that in the
illustration. A large, five-story building to the left served as a
recreation place for the ladies of the court, while back and to the left
of this was seen the beautiful dome of the mosque, said to be almost a
counterpart of the one at Mecca. So many and varied are the buildings in
this fort that it is inexpedient to do more than allude briefly to them.

The three palaces of the Sultanas are notable for their beauty, variety,
and wealth of ornament, the Sultanas being Miriam, the Portuguese
Christian; Rakinah, Akbar's cousin; and the Turkish Sultana. The Emperor
also has a suite of several rooms. The palace of Birbal, Akbar's prime
minister, is, architecturally, the most perfect of any in the enclosure
and was built for his daughter. The rooms allotted to the Zenana are
spacious. Near the recreation building is the famous pachisi or chess
board, similar to the one at Agra, where Akbar and his vizier, sitting
opposite, marshalled the slave girls to and fro.

[Illustration: _General view of Fatehpur-Sikri_]

The plan of the mosque is unusual in its construction, and so is the
massive gateway. Passing through the latter, an exquisite monument
presents itself in the tomb of Selim Chisti, the venerable hermit saint,
who lived a retired existence in a cave and yet who was the controlling
force in Akbar's life. The place is simple, and displays such delicacy
of skill in its composition as to excite admiration. It is surrounded by
a beautiful white marble lattice-work screen, ornamented with brass, and
the canopy over the tomb of the saint is inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
The photograph is very effective, but, like many others, it has to be
omitted (I have five hundred scenes of the tour). The public audience
room is encompassed by cloisters. There is a treasury, a mint, a record
office, and a building with three large rooms known as the Minchauli
Anch, which is said to be the place where the Emperor played
hide-and-seek with the ladies of the court; this is probably an
erroneous statement.

The most unusual building is the Diwan-i-Khas, the council chamber. From
the outside it seems to be two stories high, yet there is really but one
story with a large central pillar which is surrounded by an immense
circular capit