Author Description

This book is a spatial and architectural history of the Red Fort of Delhi--the seventeenth century fortified palace built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It recreates through text, photographs and drawings, the original spaces and functions of the Fort that have transformed radically through time. The architectural context of the Fort is analysed through its history, against the background of the Mughal way of life and of the geographical area of Delhi. The form of the Fort and the stages of transformatin in it are put together through a consolidated analysis of extant monuments, maps, drawings, court chronicles, travelogues, photographs, and previous historical work. The book culminates its spatial exploration by suggesting appropriate ways to conserve the Fort. This is probably one of the few books to present architectural history, not merely as a progression of styles, but as a comprehensive analysis of the links between architectural form, and built and open-space structures. It also puts together a holistic methodology of conserving historic sites in which built and open spaces are inseparably integrated.