Ghost City of Fatehpur

After leaving the Taj Mahal (Saturday January 18th), we checked out of our hotel and headed toward the city of Jaipur.  On the way to Jaipur, we stopped in the city of Fatehpur Sikiri which is home to a "walled ghost city" built by "Akbar The Great".   The city was founded in 1569 and served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585.  The construction of the walled city took fifteen years to complete.  As red sandstone was plentiful throughout the area, the entire complex was constructed using the dark stone.  The enclosed city included a palace, several large living quarters with separate areas for Akbar's many wives and a huge mosque.  The name of the city comes from the Arabic word Fateh which means victorious.  

Amazingly, the complex was abandoned shortly after its completion due to the lack of water in the area and the fact that the region became home to many rival factions. Because the walled city still stands uninhabited today, it has become known as the Ghost City of Fatehpur.  

The street hawkers were fairly aggressive at this stop.  

Roman and Mabret were convinced to buy a homemade wire puzzle game.  

Since they looked quite flimsy, the young adventurers negotiated a price of 4 toys for 100 Rupees or approximately $1.40USD.  The exchange rate is approximately 60 Rupees to one dollar.  After the first toy broke, Roman set out to resell the item.  He successfully found a buyer who paid 5 Rupees for the broken toy.  There is one born every minute.  A salesman was also born. It was hilarious and rewarding to watch Roman jump in and hawk among the local kids.  We were so enthralled watching him that we both forgot to take a photo.