Tughluqabad Fort......

The Sunday that Preston and I visited the ruins of Tughluqabad Fort the temperature outside had reached 102......but, the heat here is a very dry heat, similar to what you would experience in Arizona. Nevertheless, it was warm, especially while climbing up and down the ramparts of this beautiful remnant of history.

Tughluqabad Fort was built by the man who named it.....Tughluq....Sultan of Delhi.....he has an interesting background, but I think I will spare you the details.

But here are a few amazing facts.

He became Sultan/ Ruler of Delhi in 1321 and he immediately commenced construction of his fort to defend against invasions from Mongols. The walls of the fort reach 35 feet in thickness in some areas, but most average between 15 - 25 feet. The perimeter walls are approximately 6.5 km long. It was built, complete in only 4 years.

Apparently there were so many workers commissioned to build the fort, that worked stopped at the construction of a well for a local Saint named Nizzamudin. Nizzamudin was so angry that he placed a curse on the fort which later proved to be a reality.

Preston and I had a great time this Sunday, despite the heat, and can't wait to explore it further when Parker gets here. It is well worth a second trip back as we didn't have any water with us and cut the visit short.

Speaking of water.......the lack of water on the ridge was the primary reason that Tughluqabad was failure. It was abandoned shortly after it was built, making the "curse" come true.

By the way......Delhi is also know as the place of "Seven Cities". The American Embassy School offers a program that lasts ....seven weeks....and includes visits to each of them. Linda was advised to wait until the fall to take the class, as newcomers tend to take on too many new things at first..

Tughluqabad is know as the THIRD CITY of Delhi......I think Preston and I have visited about 4 or 5 of the seven so far......just on our weekend explorations of Delhi.

And one more thing......we found the "secret escape passage" but as I was descending the stairs and my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of the underground passage, my eyes saw something moving and chirping......and when I looked closely the ceiling was filled with bats.....needless to say, I climbed the stairs very quickly.

It is always an Adventure....with me!

Enjoy!