Agra is a city in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, some 201 km from the Indian capital city of New Delhi. Agra has the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings and tourist destinations in the world, and two other UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Agra Fort in the city and Fatehpur Sikri nearby. The city has little else to recommend it. Pollution,especially smog and litter, is rampant and travellers are pestered by swarms of touts and hawkers at every monument, mosque, temple or palace. That said, the sites are some of the wonders of the world and no trip to India is complete without at least one visit to the Taj. Agra reached its peak when it served as the capital of the the Mughal rulers of India at the peak of their empire, from 1526 to 1658. They built many monumental buildings in the Mughal architectural style, a distinctive mix of Indian and Islamic styles, and Agra has some of the finest examples. The Agra Fort, originally built by Rajput rulers of Agra, was rebuilt by the emperors Akbar and Shah Jahan, and it served as a model for the Red Fort in Delhi. http://wikitravel.org/en/Agra