Humayun's Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb is a 16th-century Mughal mausoleum in Delhi, built in the mid-1500s as the tomb of the emperor Humayun. The site introduced the Persian-style charbagh garden layout to Mughal funerary architecture and influenced later monuments.

The principal attraction is the white-domed central mausoleum set on a high platform within a formal charbagh garden divided by axial walkways and water channels. Decorative red sandstone and white marble treatments, symmetrical pavilions and finely detailed stonework are key visual elements.

Visitors also explore subsidiary tombs, pavilions and the earlier Isa Khan enclosure within the same landscaped compound, which together illustrate a sequence of 16th-century funerary buildings. The complex’s scale and architectural refinement make it a major example of early Mughal design.

Commissioned by Humayun’s widow Haji Begum and built in the 1560s and 1570s under Persian-influenced architects, the tomb established design principles that were later expanded by Mughal rulers. The complex has undergone conservation and restoration in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The tomb stands in the Nizamuddin East area of Delhi within an established historic precinct and is accessible from central parts of the city.

• World Heritage status: Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the complex is an early example of Mughal funerary architecture and a direct architectural precursor to later Mughal monuments.

What to See #

• Main mausoleum and Charbagh: The main double-domed mausoleum sits at the centre of a rectangular charbagh garden laid out in axial quadrants using canals and walkways.
• Isa Khan's Tomb: Isa Khan's Tomb is a separate earlier 16th-century octagonal tomb within the complex, predating the main mausoleum and notable for its latticework and pavilion.
• Ancillary tombs and pavilions: Several smaller buried structures and pavilions, including the Barber's Tomb and Nila Gumbad, occupy the landscaped enclosure around the central tomb.