Humayun’s tomb

Humayun’s tomb

Humayun's tomb is the Royal Mausoleum of the Mughal Royal Mausoleum consort,which was commissioned by Empress Bega Begum (also known as Haji Begum) wife of Mughal Emperor Humayun during the period 1565AD-1572AD. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 under cultural category.

Location:

Located on the banks of Yamuna river, the eastern part of Delhi due to its proximity to Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum of the celebrated Sufi saint of Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya.

Architecture:

1. The architecture of the tomb is strongly influenced by Persian architecture. The architect of the building Mirak Mirza Ghiyas himself was of Persian origin.
2. Ghiyas constructed the tomb in the center of a Persian-style charbagh garden with quadrilateral form.
3. The garden, divided in four main parts by walkways or flowing water.
4. The height of Humayun's Tomb is 47 meters, and its breadth is 91 meters and the mausoleum stands on a massive platform which has a height of up to 7 meters.
5. The building is constructed from red sandstone and the tomb  is made of yellow and black marble.
6. The two-storied mausoleum is crowned with white Persian style marble dome that seems weightless and imponderable.
7. This building is the unique connecting link between the Gur Emir, where Humayun’s ancestor Tamerlane is buried, and the mausoleum of his grandson Shah Jahan, i.e. Taj Mahal.
8. The lower tier of this rectangular construction is decorated with graceful arches, which are located around the whole perimeter of the building.

Important points:

1. Tomb was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent.
2. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone on a large scale.
3. The complex encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun, which houses the graves of Empress Bega Begum, Hamida Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, great-great-grandson of Humayun as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah.
4. Humayun’s garden-tomb is also called the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’ as in the cells are buried over 150 Mughal family members.
5. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments are present in the pathway leading up to it,it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, constructed in 1547 CE.
6. The Tombs of Battashewala Complex lie in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of the Humayun Tomb Complex; the two complexes are separated by a small road but enclosed within their own separate compound walls.
7. Humayun’s tomb inspired the construction of the more famous Taj Mahal.
8. Humayun’s tomb is also known as Makbara-e -Humayun.

Visit Timing :

1. Sunrise to sunset,
2. Open: 08.00 am to 06.00 pm

Entry Fee :

1. Rs. 10 per head for citizens of India, visitors of SAARC and BIMSTEC Countries.
2. Rs. 250 per head for foreign nationals.
3. Children up to 15 years do not require an entry fee.

How to Reach :

1. Easily accessible by road as well as by Delhi Metro.
2. The nearest railway station is Nizammudin.
3. Nearest Metro stations are, Jorbagh and Race Course stations (both on the Yellow line) are the nearest.