Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, India (2013 and 2005)

"Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi. It was commissioned by Humayun's first wife Bega Begum in 1569-70, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect. The first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, it is located close to Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun founded in 1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE." (Source: Wikipedia)


Entrance portal (more)

Commissioned by Humayun's wife

Charbagh Garden (more)

Main building (more, info)

Designed by a Persian architect

First major Mughal monument

An entrance to the tomb

Details after restoration

Cenotaphs of the early Mughals

Cenotaph of Humayun

Ornate ceiling

View from the garden

Visitors posing

Isa Khan Niyazi's Tomb (more)

Isa Khan Niyazi's Tomb

Gateway to the tomb (more)

Visitors (more)

Local schoolgirls

Out on a picnic

All smiles (1, 2)

On a foggy morning

Visitors

Cenotaph of Humayun

Visitor

Cenotaphs of the Mughals

Stonework detail

Stonework detail

Stonework detail

The pictures above were taken in 2013 (Oct-Dec), the ones below in 2005.

   

Main building

Hamida Begum, Humayun's Persian wife, supervised the construction from 1562-1572.

Evening glow (more)

Humayun's tomb is the first Indian building to use the Persian double dome.

Second portal

Second portal

Main building

The Persian architect, Mirak Mirza Ghiyuath, had previously designed buildings in Herat (now northwest Afghanistan), Bukhara (now Uzbekistan), and elsewhere in India.

Barber's tomb

Did he do more than just cut Humayun's hair? :-)

View from the garden (more)

First building of the monumental scale that would characterize later Mughal imperial architecture.

Main building

A UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Reflection


Main building

the Hindu chattris (domed pavilions) around the central dome place Humayun's tomb in the Indo-Islamic tradition that was already emerging at the time.

Main building


Humayun's tomb

Humayun (1508-56), "The Fortunate", was the eldest son of Babur.

Quiet evening

Humayun was the second Mughal emperor after Babur.

Tomb of Isa Khan

A nobleman who served Sher Shah, the Afghan ruler of Delhi who had ousted Humayun

Dilapidated gate

Locals

   

 

 



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