Buland Darwaz

This guide to the Buland Darwaza follows Emperor Akbar's search for an heir at Sikri, the birth of his son in 1569, and the victory in Gujarat four years later that he chose to mark with this gateway. It traces the gate's scale and ornament, and the Persian inscription carved above its arch that reads oddly for a monument built to celebrate triumph. Look up at the tiers of arches and the domed kiosks along the skyline as you read it.