Humayun’s Tomb is by far one of the most visited places in Delhi. Best hotels are not to far away from this beautiful sight. This tomb is actually a complex of many buildings that the Mughal Emperor Humayun built for his wife the lovely Hamida Banu Begum in 1562 CE. It was designed by a Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyath. It was the first tomb built on the Indian subcontinent and is near the Dina-panah citadel many know as Purana Qila. This was a structure of a few firsts. It was the first building to use red sandstone in such large amounts. It was also a start of having burials in gardens for this area. It is seen as a true change from the more modest mousoleum of previous Emperors.
The building includes the main tomb with the Emperor Humayun and his wife and also Dara Shikoh. Dara is the son of a Emperor Shah Jahan a later Emperor. There is also many other Emperor’s and notables such as Emperoer Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat and Alamgir II. The site was built on the banks of the Yamuna River because it is closer to the Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum created for the Sufi Saint of Delhi. The Sufi Saint was admired by rulers of Delhi whose homes area built just north east of the tomb. One story told about the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar is that he hide in the tomb during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 with three princes but was captured by Captian Hodson and then exiled to Rangoon.
The building has such a blend of simple arch ways and ornated detail. It seems so soft with the red sandstone giving a more pink tranquility. It is almost feminine in nature and reminds me of resting the a mothers comforting arms. It is no wonder the appeal it’s dynastic memorial for so many generations of the Mughal royal family and nobility. It is the top of many “must see” lists when visiting Delhi.


