India: Daulatabad Fort
Daulatabad Fort, albeit somewhat ruined, is a sight to behold – sitting on top of a craggy outcrop hill known as Devagiri – Hill of Gods – it looks impressive and most certainly impregnable. The fort was built in 11th century and then greatly expanded and fortified by Mohammad bin Tuqluq of the 14th century Tuqluq dynasty. So obsessed was the ruler with the location of the fort, that he even moved the capital of his mighty (at the time) empire from Delhi to Daulatabad (Daulatabad meaning “city of fortune”). Those who didn’t wanna move from Delhi were ordered killed. However, Daulatabad proved a failure rather then the city of fortune when water supply became insufficient and Mohammad bin Tuqluq ordered everyone to move back to Delhi. All this moving around eventually brought the collapse of his dynasty and Mughal emperors came to power. The fort is considered one of the most unique and impenetrable forts in the world – it has three layers of walls, with many doors but all but one being fake, dry moat, wet moat, and the vertical cliffs on all sides with secret passageways inside the mountain leading to the main structures on top. While the walls and courts and tunnels are intact, some other buildings are ruined. There is also a spectacular Chand Minar tower – 210ft/64m high. Finally, the fort is overrun by monkeys and exploring its abandoned and semi-ruined grounds is like being in an Indiana Jones movie.
