New Delhi, India, Nov 2007
Delhi (Hindi: दिल्ली, Punjabi: ਦਿੱਲੀ, Urdu: دلی, IPA: [d̪ɪlːiː]) sometimes referred to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai. With a population of 11.5 million, and with an extended metropolitan population of almost 22 million it is located in northern India on the banks of the River Yamuna. Delhi has the political status of a federally-administered union territory known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), which in itself is part of National Capital Region.
Delhi is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Having been the capital of several empires in ancient India, Delhi was a major city in the old trade routes from northwest India to the Gangetic Plains. Many ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance have been erected in its history. The Mughals built a section of the city (now known as Old City or Old Delhi) that served as the capital of Mughal Empire for a long period.
Humayun's tomb is a complex of buildings of Mughal architecture located in Nizamuddin east, New Delhi on the Mathura Road near the crossing of Lodhi Road. In time of Slave Dynasty this land was under the KiloKheri Fort which was capital of Sultan Kequbad son of Nasiruddin(1268-1287). It encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun as well as numerous others. The complex is an UNESCO's designated World Heritage Site and the first example of this type of Mughal architecture in India. This style of mausoleum was the same that created the Taj Mahal in Agra. The tomb of Humayun was built by the orders of Hamida Banu Begum, Humayun's widow on who's instructions work started in 1562 & completed in 1570. The architect of the edifice was reportedly Sayyed Muhammad ibn Mirak Ghiyathuddin and his father Mirak Ghiyathuddin who were brought in from Herat. It took 8 years to build and had a Chahr Bagh Garden style in its design, the first of its kind in the region.
Restoration work by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture was completed in March 2003, enabling water to flow through the watercourses in the gardens once more. Funding for this work was a gift from the institutions of His Highness the Aga Khan to India. In addition, AKTC is conducting a more significant restoration at Babur's tomb, the resting place of Humayun's father in Kabul.
High rubble-built walls enclose a square garden divided initially into four large squares separated by causeways and channels, each square divided again into smaller squares by pathways ('Chaharbagh') as in a typical Mughal garden. The lofty mausoleum is located in the centre of the enclosure and rises from a podium faced with series of cells with arched openings. The central octagonal chamber containing the cenotaph is encompassed by octagonal chambers at the diagonals and arched lobbies on the sides, their openings closed with perforated screens. Three emphatic arches dominate each side, the central one being the highest. The structure is built with red sandstone, but white and black marble has been used to relieve the monotony, the latter largely in the borders. A Homage To The Royal Dynasty Several rulers of the Mughal dynasty lie buried in the mausoleum, although it is not possible to identify their graves. Among those lying buried here are Bega Begam, Hamida Banu Begam - Humayun's junior wife, Dara Shikoh - Shah Jahan's son, and the later Mughals, Jalandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi'u'd-Darajat, Rafi'u'd-Daula and Alamgir II, Bahadur Shah II.
Read MoreDelhi is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Having been the capital of several empires in ancient India, Delhi was a major city in the old trade routes from northwest India to the Gangetic Plains. Many ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance have been erected in its history. The Mughals built a section of the city (now known as Old City or Old Delhi) that served as the capital of Mughal Empire for a long period.
Humayun's tomb is a complex of buildings of Mughal architecture located in Nizamuddin east, New Delhi on the Mathura Road near the crossing of Lodhi Road. In time of Slave Dynasty this land was under the KiloKheri Fort which was capital of Sultan Kequbad son of Nasiruddin(1268-1287). It encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun as well as numerous others. The complex is an UNESCO's designated World Heritage Site and the first example of this type of Mughal architecture in India. This style of mausoleum was the same that created the Taj Mahal in Agra. The tomb of Humayun was built by the orders of Hamida Banu Begum, Humayun's widow on who's instructions work started in 1562 & completed in 1570. The architect of the edifice was reportedly Sayyed Muhammad ibn Mirak Ghiyathuddin and his father Mirak Ghiyathuddin who were brought in from Herat. It took 8 years to build and had a Chahr Bagh Garden style in its design, the first of its kind in the region.
Restoration work by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture was completed in March 2003, enabling water to flow through the watercourses in the gardens once more. Funding for this work was a gift from the institutions of His Highness the Aga Khan to India. In addition, AKTC is conducting a more significant restoration at Babur's tomb, the resting place of Humayun's father in Kabul.
High rubble-built walls enclose a square garden divided initially into four large squares separated by causeways and channels, each square divided again into smaller squares by pathways ('Chaharbagh') as in a typical Mughal garden. The lofty mausoleum is located in the centre of the enclosure and rises from a podium faced with series of cells with arched openings. The central octagonal chamber containing the cenotaph is encompassed by octagonal chambers at the diagonals and arched lobbies on the sides, their openings closed with perforated screens. Three emphatic arches dominate each side, the central one being the highest. The structure is built with red sandstone, but white and black marble has been used to relieve the monotony, the latter largely in the borders. A Homage To The Royal Dynasty Several rulers of the Mughal dynasty lie buried in the mausoleum, although it is not possible to identify their graves. Among those lying buried here are Bega Begam, Hamida Banu Begam - Humayun's junior wife, Dara Shikoh - Shah Jahan's son, and the later Mughals, Jalandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi'u'd-Darajat, Rafi'u'd-Daula and Alamgir II, Bahadur Shah II.
