About 40km outside Agra is Fatehpuri Sikri, the Ghost Fort. Bitch of a drive to get out there, but worth it. Built in 1571 by Akbar, it's one of the best preserved places I've ever seen (for being abandoned, that is; it was inhabited for only 14 years). It's made completely of red sandstone--even the ceilings/floors separating levels--and the masonry and carving is something to make you wonder.
Most interesting, the complex lacks the single- or double-axel geometries that define so many structures, from all parts of the world, from that time. Even individual buildings lack symmetry, more closely resembling modernist and post-modernist architecture, albeit with Mughal flourishes.
And then it started to rain again. As usual, more photos to come after our return.
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