"You can't come in"

"Go away," said the guard when I stepped inside the gate.
"I am waiting for my friend," I replied.
"Okay, then go away."
"But when she comes, we want to see inside."

"You can't.  It's prayer time."
"Oh." Set back but not giving up, I said, "Then we won't go see inside the masjid, we will only go in the park."
"You can't."
"Why not?"
"It's closed."
"But why?"

"The wall has a crack in it and the park has been closed to the public."
"Is the other gate open?" Persevering on...
"No gate is open."
"Can you unlock it?"
"It is not possible."
"Can you open it after prayer time?"
"No, this is not possible."

Bummer.
I tried.  I tried really hard to see Sher Shahi and the Lal Darwaza, but I did not succeed.

Isa Khan's tomb

In the saga of my favorite Mughal emperor, Isa Khan was an advisor of Sher Shah and his son, rivals of Humayan.
Yet his tomb and masjid--built before Humayan's--are inside the Humayan complex.
The walled area has been closed off to visitors for the past two years due to reconstruction work.  When I heard the gate was opening back up this month, I wanted to go.
No:  I had to go.

Isa Khan lived to be 95 years old, so he had time during his life to design his tomb and the masjid that stands nearby. 
He brought over architectural influences from his Pashtu, Afghan background in the glazed tiles and the chattris.

He put up pillars and carvings...

...and he designed gardens that reminded him of home.
He probably never imagined that he and Humayan--exiled at the time of Isa Khan's death--would be tombstone neighbors.  Or that those who visited his garden would actually have come to see his enemy's tomb.
Life--and death--doesn't seem to follow our plans.

Qila-i-Kohna Masjid

During his short five year rule of Delhi, this mosque is one of the projects that hisotry is sure Sher Shah built.  It's inside the Purana Qila and is the most substantial building left.

I read a scintillating description of the architectural detail of the mosque, including information on its squinches, turrets, ceiling treatments and facade.

But I will skip those details and say to you instead:

Just look at that beautiful detail.  It's got to be one of the most best masjids in Delhi.

"Most best"?  Is that a typo?
No, it is not.  It's a very fitting phrase.
Why's that?
Because Sher Shah was from Afghanistan.  This mosque has Afghan influence embedded all over the place in its design.

And because my Afghan friend uses effusive phrases like that frequently:
"I have the most best friends in all the world."
"This ice cream is the most best I have eaten today."
"My friends are the most best good friends."
"This is the most best meal I have had with you."
Admittedly my experience is limited, but that means that I think saying "most best" is the correct way to describe it.

So yes, when it comes to design, the Qila-i-Kohna is one of the most best masjids in Delhi.

Purana Qila

The Purana Qila, old fort, is the Din-panah--refuge of the heart--that Humayan started to build before he was defeated by Sher Shah and fled India.
Sher Shah added to it and Humayan moved back in when he returned to Delhi. 

There's not much left of it but the impressive gates and walls.

Every day there is a light show projected on to the northern gate of the fort.  It is called Ishq ki Dilli, meaning "Love Delhi".
While it has little to do with Humayan or the fort, it's still an appropriate presentation because Humayan was one of the lovers of Delhi.

And that made for two good reasons why I needed to see Purana Qila.

1. It was time to see where Humayan died.

And
2.  I, too, am a lover of Delhi.