Princess in Prison: Zebunissa (a heritage walk in Salimgarh, REDFORT), Delhi

About this place

Hidden within the Red Fort complex, Salimgarh Fort predates the Red Fort by nearly a century. Built around 1546 by *Salim Shah Suri*, son of Sher Shah Suri, this forgotten fort has witnessed some fascinating and turbulent chapters of Delhi’s history. On this walk, we enter Salimgarh through the life of *Zeb-un-Nisa, the eldest daughter of Aurangzeb—a Mughal princess, Sufi, scholar and gifted Persian poet who wrote under the pen name **Makhfi, meaning *“the Hidden One.” Her poetry, later collected as the Diwan-e-Makhfi, reveals a deeply introspective woman searching for love, freedom and spiritual liberation. But Zeb-un-Nisa’s life was far from sheltered. Accused of involvement in a political conspiracy connected with her brother, she fell out of favour with Aurangzeb and was eventually imprisoned. Through *dramatic readings, monologue-style storytelling and passages from her poetry*, we will bring her voice and story alive against the very backdrop of the fort’s history. We will also explore Salimgarh’s later colonial history, including the barracks where *Indian National Army prisoners were held*—spaces that have since acquired their own haunting legends. *A fort within a fort. A princess who became a prisoner. And the hidden voice of Makhfi.* Join us for an evocative journey into one of the Red Fort complex’s least-known and most intriguing stories.