Humayun's Tomb

हुमायूँ का मक़बरा

The first Mughal garden tomb, completed in 1570 and the prototype for the Taj Mahal. Its red sandstone and white marble quadrant garden is quiet, with few visitors.

Humayun's Tomb is the mausoleum of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor. It was commissioned by his widow and designed by Persian architects. Construction ran from 1565 to 1572. It is the first tomb on the Indian subcontinent to feature a Persian-style charbagh (quadrant garden), and it is the direct architectural prototype for the Taj Mahal. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1993. After a major restoration completed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 2013, the garden and water channels were fully restored. The main tomb stands on an 8-meter-high red sandstone platform, and its double dome rises 42 meters. More than 150 members of the Mughal royal family are buried inside, which is why it is also called the “Mughal Family Cemetery.”

Within the complex are the octagonal Isa Khan's Tomb from 1547, which predates the main tomb, the Nai ka Gumbad (Barber's Tomb), and an Arab Serai. Next door is the shrine of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin, where qawwali devotional music is performed on Thursday evenings. To the north, the newly opened Sunder Nursery garden and the Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Museum (opened in 2024) are also worth seeing.

Admission for foreigners is 600 rupees (about 50 yuan). Opening hours run from sunrise to sunset (about 06:00 to 18:00).

Getting there: Walk about 15 minutes from Hazrat Nizamuddin Station on the Violet/Magenta Line, or from JLN Stadium Station, or take a taxi.

Tips: Visit after 15:30 in the afternoon, when the light falls from the west on the main tomb's facade. It attracts far fewer visitors than the Red Fort, making it Delhi's most comfortable heritage site. There are no food services inside, and the walking distances are long, so wear comfortable shoes.

Humayun's Tomb

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