INDIA CROSSING THE RIVER GANGES The Red Fort and the Taj Mahal bear an exceptional and complementary testimony to a civilization which has disappeared; that of the Mogul Emperors. Agra's history goes back more than 2; 500 years; but it was not until the reign of the Mughals that Agra became more than a provincial city. Humayun; son of the founder of the Mogul Empire; was offered jewellery and precious stones by the family of the Raja of Gwalior; one of them the famous Koh-i-Noor. The heyday of Agra came with the reign of Humayun's son; Akbar the Great. During his reign; the main part of the Agra Fort was built. The citadel comprises a large number of fairy-like palaces: the Khas Mahal; the Shish Mahal; the octagonal tower of Muhammam Burj; as well as reception rooms: Diwan-i-Khas; built in 1637 and the many pillared Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience); constructed in 1628; under the reign of the luxury-loving Shah Jahan (1630-55). Within the palatial complex; there are two very beautiful mosques of white marble; the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque; constructed in 1646-53 by Shah Jahan and the Nagina Masjid built under the reign of Aurangzeb (1658-1707). Several of the buildings are made from pure marble with beautiful carvings; all of these monuments mark the apogee of an Indo-Muslim art strongly marked by influences from Persia which already manifested itself in Timurid art. Emperor Shah Jahan; who built the Taj Mahal; was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Agra Fort; from which he had a view of the building erected for his deceased wife. Shah Jahan is said to have died in the Musamman Burj; a tower with a beautiful marble balcony.