Red Fort : Pollution
A ‘black crust’ is forming on the walls of the Red Fort due to high levels of air pollution, a recent study has found.
- The Red Fort, or Lal Qila, is a Mughal fort located in Delhi, India.
- Formerly known as Quila-e-Mubarak, or the Blessed Fort, the Red Fort lies along the banks of the river Yamuna, whose waters fed the moats surrounding the fort.
- It was built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad – the new capital of the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan.
- Shah Jahan constructed it in 1639. It was designed by architects Ustad Ahmad Lahauri and Ustad Hamid.
- Named for its massive enclosing walls of red sandstone, it is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh, built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546, with which it forms the Red Fort Complex.
- The fort complex served as the residence of Mughal Emperors for nearly 200 years, until 1857.
- The fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007.
- From the fort each year on Independence Day (August 15), the Indian prime minister participates in a flag-raising ceremony and delivers a televised address to the country.
