Short answers, pulled from the story.
Fatehpur Sikri was founded in 1571 by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The city was built to honor the Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chishti and to celebrate the birth of Akbar's son. Construction began after a spiritual prophecy in 1569 regarding the birth of the child who would become Emperor Jahangir.
Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned by 1585 because the water supply failed to sustain the growing population. The city was built on a rocky ridge which made procuring water a constant struggle despite deep wells and reservoirs. Akbar eventually found himself unable to meet the city's needs and left to fight campaigns in Punjab.
The tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti is located in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid within Fatehpur Sikri. This white marble structure features intricate geometric designs and a wooden canopy encrusted with mother-of-pearl. It served as the spiritual anchor of the city and drew pilgrims and nobles to the site.
The British East India Company occupied Fatehpur Sikri in 1803 after taking control of Agra. They established an administrative center there which remained in use until 1850. The Marquess of Hastings ordered repairs to the monuments in 1815 to preserve the historical site.
The population of Fatehpur Sikri in 1901 was 7,147. The town functioned as a municipality from 1865 to 1904 before becoming a notified area. This population figure reflects the state of the city decades after its abandonment by the Mughal Empire.