About

Humayun's tomb was built between 1565 and 1572 designed to be the mausoleum of the second Mughal Emperor, Humayun, who had died in 1556. It was commissioned by his grieving widow, Hamida Banu Begum.
The tomb includes over 150 graves of immediate members and descendents of Humayun's family as well as other nobles of the Mughal court.

It stands on a platform of 12000 sq. m and goes up to a height of 47m. It is one of the earliest examples of Persian influence in Indian architecture.

The primary structure is a square structure with chamfered corners and arched gateways clad in red sandstone and marble. It is mounted on a large terraced platform, topped by a large central dome, with two-bay deep vaulted cells on all four sides. The cenotaphs are openly accessible, while the true graves are located one level below. It is the first of the garden-tombs in the Indian sub-continent, and inspired a number of other tombs, including the famous Taj Mahal.

The tomb stands in the middle of a rectangular garden of the traditional char-bagh design. The garden is divided into four sections by channels filled with flowing water, each of which is further sub-divided into nine sections. The four innermost sub-divisions form the platform on which the tomb stands. Flowing water was an essential element of the Mughal garden-tombs, and Humayun's tomb has underground terra-cotta pipes, aqueducts, fountains, and water channels to supply and carry the flowing water.

The tomb is located close to the shrine of the 14th century Sufi Saint, Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Auliya. The Humayun's tomb complex also includes several other structures, including Isa Khan's Tomb, Bu Halima's Tomb, Afsarwala Tomb and Mosque, Arab Sarai (stables), the Nila Gumbad, and Barber's tomb. The last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zajar, took refuge at Humayun's tomb after he was ousted from Red Fort when the 1857 revolt was put down in Delhi. He was arrested by Captain Hodson and exiled to Rangoon.

Constructed in:	16th century CE
Height:	47 m
Base:	120m x 100m

History

Humayun was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire that was founded by his father, Babur, following his victory over Ibrahim Lodhi in the First Battle of Panipat.

While Humayun ascended the throne in 1530, he lost his kingdom to Sher Shah Suri, and did not regain it until well after Sher Shah's death, by winning the Second Battle of Panipath in 1556.

Humayun died in 1560 shortly after regaining his kingdom, from injuries sustained when he fell down the stairs of his library.

Akbar inherited the throne at the tender age of 13 and went on to rule for a further 49 years.

Architecture

Humayun's tomb was designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad

The structure is made of random rubble masonry and is clad in red sandstone and white marble.

The plinth has 17 white lime plastered arches on each facade, framed in red sandstone, inlaid with white marble.

The six-sided star which is found in Islamic, Judaic, Christian, and Hindu buildings all over the world, is the most prominent ornamentation together with fine-lime plaster ceramic tiles ornamenting the small canopies with decorative stone-flooring and marble-clad minarets.

The marble outer dome stands on a circular red sandstone drum which is 8m high and is adorned with star-shaped patterns in yellow sandstone. Each of these ornamental stars has a black slate medallion in its center.

Additional Reading

Aga Khan Trust - Humayun's Tomb Restoration
Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

Trivia

The last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was captured by Major William Hodson following the suppression of the rebellion of 1857 in the grounds of Humayun's tomb, where he had fled after Red Fort had fallen.