The Agra Fort (Qila Agra) is a historical fort in the city of Agra, and also known as Agra's Red Fort.
Mughal emperor Humayun was crowned at this fort. It was later renovated by the Mughal emperor Akbar from 1565 and the present-day structure was completed in 1573.
It served as the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. It was also known as the "Lal-Qila" or "Qila-i-Akbari". Before being captured by the British, the last Indian rulers to have occupied it were the Marathas.
In 1983, the Agra fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its importance during the Mughal Dynasty. It is about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal.
The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city. It was later renovated by Shah Jahan.
Only about 30% of the site is accessible for visitors since it’s still used by the Indian army. What is accessible is a real...
Port FC, one of Thailand’s oldest professional soccer clubs, was founded in 1967 as the Port Authority of Thailand Football Club by employees of the national port authority. The side quickly established itself as a domestic powerhouse, claiming multiple Kor Royal Cup titles in its early decades along with several Queen’s Cup triumphs. After competing in the Thai League from the mid-1990s, the club underwent name changes and ownership shifts before Nualphan Lamsam assumed control in 2015, restoring the Port FC name and steering the team back into consistent top flight contention and occasional continental competition.
Vissel Kobe traces its roots to 1966, when it began as the Kawasaki Steel Soccer Club in Okayama Prefecture. The team relocated to the port city of Kobe in 1995, adopting the name Vissel—a blend of “victory” and “vessel” to honor the city’s maritime heritage. After earning promotion to the J.League in 1997, the club endured years of mid-table finishes and financial ...
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish sustained contact with the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, beginning in 1511 shortly after their capture of the vital entrepôt of Malacca. Aware that Malacca had been a distant vassal of Siam, the Portuguese commander Afonso de Albuquerque promptly dispatched an envoy, Duarte Fernandes, by Chinese junk up the Chao Phraya River to the Siamese court. King Ramathibodi II received the visitor cordially, accepted the fait accompli of the Portuguese conquest, and opened the way for further diplomatic exchanges. Subsequent missions followed: one led by António de Miranda de Azevedo in 1512 and another by Duarte Coelho in 1516–1518. These culminated in a formal treaty of friendship and commerce, the first such agreement between Siam and a European power.
Under its terms the Portuguese obtained permission to reside and trade at Ayutthaya and other Siamese ports, to practise their religion freely, and to enjoy certain commercial privileges and tax exemptions. In ...
The ruin commonly identified as Wat Worapho, also known by its earlier name Wat Rakhang or the Monastery of the Bell, stands directly west of the former Grand Palace within the Ayutthaya Historical Park.
It forms part of a protected cluster of restored ruins that also includes Wat Worachettharam and Wat Lokaya Sutha, and it is most easily reached from the western side of Khlong Tho. The site occupies a large area that once stood on the north bank of Khlong Fang and the west bank of Khlong Pak Tho, with traces of a surrounding moat still visible in places though partially obscured by later road construction.
The precise date of the monastery’s founding remains uncertain, yet it clearly predates 1600. The Royal Chronicles first record it in connection with the ordination of Prince Si Sin around 1602. While living as a high-ranking monk there under the title Phra Phimontham Anantapricha, the prince gained renown as a Buddhist scholar deeply versed in the scriptures and royal manuals. His scholarly ...
