Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did Akbar move his capital from Fatehpur Sikri to Lahore?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Akbar
A painting titled Akbar Hunting from a folio of Akbarnama (“History of Akbar”), late 16th century; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
Akbar moved his capital from Fatehpur Sikri to Lahore around 1584–1585 primarily to oversee military campaigns aimed at securing the Mughal Empire’s northwestern frontier.12
These efforts were necessitated by threats from Uzbek forces—a Central Asian power controlling Transoxania—and by instability in Kabul following the death of his half brother, Mirza Hakim, who had previously challenged Akbar’s authority. While the decline of Fatehpur Sikri is sometimes attributed to an inadequate water supply, historians also suggest that the city may have lost its significance simply because the emperor’s attention had shifted toward these critical military operations in the Punjab region.12