History
Shaikh Salim Chisti (1418-1572) was one of the famous Sufi saints of the Chishti Order in India. Salim Chisti was the descendant of the famous Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti whose tomb is in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
Fathehpur city was founded in Sikri village, 40km from Agra by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in honour of the Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti. Emperor Akbar came to Sikri in search of the saint to ask his blessing for a son when all else had failed. The Sufi saint who was Emperor Akbar's advisor and teacher predicted that the king would have three sons. The prediction came true, and Akbar's son Jahangir was named as Salim after the saint, and raised by the Sufi holy man. The saint passed away in 1571. To perpetuate the memory of the saint, Akbar constructed a charming mosque in the midst of Sikri complex with its palaces, courts, baths and gardens. The white marble mausoleum of Sheikh Salim Chishti with its unusual carvings, has an ethereal quality about it.
Salim Chishti's mazar is one of the most notable accomplishments of Mughal architecture, surpassed only in reputation, and is flanked by the massive Buland Darwaza or Victory gate on the southern side, the Badshahi darwaza or Emperor's gate on eastern side, and a grand mosque Jama masjid on western side, as well as by courtyards, a reflecting pool, and other tombs. Construction commenced in 1571 and the work was completed fifteen years later.