Humayun's Tomb Tomb

Address: Humayun’s Tomb, Mathura Road, Nizamuddin, New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi, India

Website: https://asi.nic.in

Hours: Daily 6:00am-6:00pm (typical)

Admission: ASI ticket (typical ASI rates): INR 40 for Indian citizens, INR 600 for foreign nationals (subject to change)

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.

Humayun’s Tomb is in Nizamuddin East, New Delhi. The nearest major railhead is Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, about 1-2 km away; it is also easily reached by taxi, auto‑rickshaw or city buses from New Delhi Railway Station (roughly 6-8 km by road via Mathura Road). The monument complex is a short walk (5-15 minutes) from the surrounding entrance roads and parking areas.

• Visit at or just after opening to enjoy the mausoleum with far fewer tourists and softer light on the red sandstone and white marble.
• Enter through the main Mathura Road approach so you come in through the principal garden axis; once inside, take the quieter paths to the north to find Isa Khan's tomb and lesser-visited Mughal-era garden features.
• Don't rush past the surrounding garden layouts and water channels-these peripheral elements and the smaller tombs inside the complex are often skipped by visitors focused only on the main chamber.