Amer Fort, Jaipur, India

On Monday, November 5, 2018 Angelina, our guide Ari, our driver Vijay and I went to the Amer Fort in Jaipur. The first few pictures are from old town Jaipur and are of a historical wall from which handmaidens could view the activities of the city. The royal gardens were both built on high platforms in the third courtyard, which was built by Mirza Raja Jai Singh (1623–68). It is patterned on the lines of the Chahar Bagh or Mughal Garden. It is in sunken bed, shaped in a hexagonal design. It is laid out with narrow channels lined with marble around a star-shaped pool with a fountain at the centre. Water for the garden flows in cascades through channels from the Sukh Niwas and also from the cascade channels called the "chini khana niches" that originate on the terrace of the Jai Mandir.

The building known as Amer or Amber, with Hindu and Muslim elements and elephant rides. There were four courts one for greeting visitors, one for a public audience, another for meetings between the king and prime minister, and one for a private audience. There were multiple additions to the fort in the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries, all built by a couple different kings. My favorite part was the Temple with all of the mirrors inside of it. It was so pretty and our tour guide said that if you brought just one candle that the light would reflect off of all the mirrors. -Angelina

I loved the architecture with the marble, colored patterns with mirrors, courtyards with gardens, and the lake in the front of the fort. My favorite parts were the vistas from the upper levels of the fort, the walls in the distance, the mountains and the view of the city below from the back side. I was impressed by the water aqueducts used for cooling the royal rooms by the channels coupled with the hand carved screens and wind, they had air conditioning for free.