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The Red Fort (Lal Qila) stands on the west bank of the Yamuna in Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad), the walled capital Shah Jahan founded in 1639. Construction of the fort-palace proceeded from about 1639 to 1648 under architects Ustad Ahmad and Ustad Hamid, employing the same red sandstone and white marble vocabulary as Agra. The complex covers roughly 254 acres within 2.5 km of crenellated walls; the Lahore Gate and Delhi Gate pierce the ramparts.
Inside, the Nahr-i-Behisht (Stream of Paradise) canal fed a row of pavilions — Rang Mahal, Mumtaz Mahal, Khas Mahal — linking public audience halls to private imperial quarters. The Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience) and Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) staged Mughal ceremonial until the empire fragmented. The adjacent Salimgarh Fort (1546) forms the UNESCO-listed Red Fort Complex.
After the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the British occupied and altered the fort; post-1947 it became a national symbol, with the Prime Minister hoisting the flag from the Lahore Gate ramparts on 15 August. Archaeological Survey of India conservation continues on damaged pavilions and gardens.