Bidar Fort stands in Bidar, Karnataka, about 2,200 feet (670 meters) above sea level on the edge of the northernmost plateau in Karnataka. Sultan Ahmad Shah I of the Bahmani dynasty moved the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar and built it. Firishta records reconstruction from 1429 to 1432, though other sources give other dates. Persian and Turkish architects designed it, and its red laterite and lime-mortar walls reflect Persian influence.
The irregular, roughly rhombus-shaped fort is about 0.75 mile (1.21 kilometers) long and 0.5 mile (0.8 kilometers) wide, with outer walls about 1.6 miles (2.5 kilometers) long. Steep cliffs protect two sides, and a triple moat guards the others. It has seven gates and 37 bastions, and over 30 monuments within, including the Rangin Mahal and the Takht Mahal.
It is a ruin open to the public and on UNESCO's tentative list.
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