Description of the attraction
The majestic tomb of the Mughal emperor Humayun is more like a lavish palace. It is located in the eastern part of Delhi, easily accessible by either train or taxi, and is India's first Garden Tomb. The construction was initiated by Humayun's wife Hamid Banu Begum in 1562. The architects of the project are Persian architects and poets - the son and father of Said Muhammad and Mirak Said Ghiyat (or Mirak Mirza Ghiyas). Eight years later, the mausoleum was completed. It is a whole complex of buildings that are located on the territory of the huge Char Bagh garden (which means “four gardens”), which is surrounded on three sides by a high wall, on the fourth side it rested against the Jamna River, but since then its channel has changed its location … The garden, which is divided into 4 parts by two canals, can be accessed through the southern and western gates, the main of which are the large southern gates.
The mausoleum itself is a large building made of red sandstone with trim in white and black marble. The architectural style of the building traces the influence of the Persian architectural traditions. Humayun's tomb became a kind of ancestor of buildings of this type, the most famous representative of which was the Taj Mahal, which was built 70 years later. The quadrangular tomb stands on a small pedestal, and its dome rises more than 38 meters above the ground. The lower tier is decorated with a series of graceful arches that are located around the entire perimeter of the building. The sarcophagus of the ruler is located in the center of the upper tier in a large hall, decorated with windows arranged in several rows in arched openings. Later, several more sarcophagi were installed in the room, in which the wives of Humayun (including Hamid Banu Begum) and several subsequent Mughal emperors rest.
Also on the territory of Char Bagh there are several other tombs, the most famous of which is the tomb of Nil Gumbad, which means "blue dome", which was built for the hairdresser of Humayun's father - Babur. Not far from the blue Nile of Gumbad there is another mausoleum, which was created in honor of Babur himself, the first Mughal Emperor.
Humayun's tomb is today one of the best-preserved Mughal architectural monuments and is included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list.
