Fatehpur-Sikri

The twin sites of Fatehpur-Sikri lie just on the outskirts of Agra, and while visiting Agra to see the Taj Mahal, most tourists stop here to see Akbar's palace and Salim Chisti's tomb. Akbar, as the 16th century emperor of the Indian subcontinent, needs no introduction. Salim Chisti was a sufi saint, who lived as a hermit in the hills of Sikri. 
Before 1569, Akbar had no heir to his throne. Akbar's first three children - a daughter Fatima, and twin sons, Hussain and Hassan - died in infancy. Akbar, a very worried and heir-less emperor then approached Salim Chisti, in the hope that divine intervention could help him with his heir troubles. It is said that he even moved his pregnant wife to Sikri, so that she would be in blessed surroundings when the child came. 
All this paid off, and a son was born to Akbar in 1569, and named "Salim" after the saint. Salim would later become famous as Jahangir, but that's a different story.
Akbar now started considering Sikri a lucky place for him. He decided to move his capital from Agra to Sikri, and started building a royal city around Salim Chisti's hermitage. This new city was named Fatehpur or "victory city". Two years later, in 1571, Akbar moved to this new city with his family and courtiers. Red sandstone was the building material that was available at that time, and you can see the entire complex in Fatehpur is made of this material. 

Akbar later abandoned the city, possibly due to water shortage. What remains is a snapshot of medieval mughal life. Including interesting stories that guides here tell you. For example, there was an ancient form of "ludo" that Akbar would have his harem women play. The ludo board was life size, and the women the pawns! The winner got a date with the emperor ;-)

The picture below is from the Sikri side of Fatehpur-Sikri. The white marble structure is Salim Chisti's tomb. Most likely it was rebuilt in white marble by Shah Jahan, who is more famous for his other white marble building... the Taj Mahal.