Shunning the Hindu tradition of aligning towns with the cardinal points, as dictated by the ancient canonical text on architecture, the Shilpa Shashtras, Akbar chose to construct his new capital following the natural features of the terrain (though the layout also said to have been inspired by the form of a Mughal camp), which is why the principal thoroughfare, town walls, and many of the most important buildings inside it face southwest or northeast. The mosque and most private apartments, on the other hand, do not follow the main axis, but face west towards Mecca, according to Muslim tradition, with the palace crowning the highest point on the ridge.
Although unused and uninhabited since its abandonment, the main Royal Palace and court complex, remains largely intact, thanks to extensive restoration work carried out by British archeologists before Independence. There are two entrances to the Palace. Independent travelers will most likely use the one on the west side, by Jodhabai's Palace; organized tours tend to use that on the east, by the Diwan-i-Am. Official guides offer their services at the booking offices. Note there is nowhere to buy drinks in the palace, so take water in with you; you're not allowed to eat inside either.
The palace complex's myriad buildings can be rather disorienting on first acquaintance. Despite the apparent disorder, however (not helped by the various spurious and confusing names applied to buildings throughout the palace), the entire complex actually divides neatly into two: the mardana (or men's quarters) on the east side of the palace, and the zenana (women's quarter) to the west. The only exception is the Diwan-i-Am, on the far eastern side of the palace, which was open to the public at large (and which was supplied with its own entrance to avoid having the hoi-polloi traipse through the main palace itself).
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