{"chapterKey":"india-northern/delhi-5-humayun-s-tomb","title":"Delhi 5, Humayun's Tomb","regionSlug":"india-northern","status":"published","photos":[{"sha":"56bb7c0f60b4b94b461b9350fc56a7dab74128a6fa6cde4d7a296dd287386e4e","caption":"The grounds of Humayun's tomb are laid out in a *char bagh* design, with water channels dividing the 13-acre site into a garden of 36 identical squares, of which the tomb on its square terrace occupies the central four. The tomb chamber is octagonal under its double-shelled dome—India's first—which vaults an inner chamber 48 feet in diameter. Around the periphery of that inner chamber are four octagonal towers, between which are four porches with *iwans*, or high arches. Members of the royal family lie in these subsidiary octagons.","width":998,"height":666,"aspect":1.4985,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/d95ce60155c5859f5fb981421f3cda45","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/68c80fe585439c0d4992490c272d0c0e","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/7a1977320b7d88dd8e0d74db63945078","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/88047946c2f669a39bb0032ca5482e52","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/88047946c2f669a39bb0032ca5482e52","altText":"The grounds of Humayun's tomb are laid out in a char bagh design, with water channels dividing the 13-acre site into a garden of 36 identica"},{"sha":"622ee804f4c0f41df614c5f907bacedd044caf00ddf2219723d7e5d30023215e","caption":"Although the ceremonial space is entered by climbing to the terrace and entering through the south *iwan*, here on the right, the actual burial chamber is entered at a lower level—through a door into the south side of the terrace. The southern *iwan* is shallow to create a high entrance hall behind it.","width":998,"height":666,"aspect":1.4985,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/086a3e40f21654f1f5de08f447342153","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/bc8f602f5ea3ad5e71db1d30d157802c","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/83d0a86b4d439010d94581e073d10152","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/59d091ebeb093b5fbedb9aa6d8c9e293","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/59d091ebeb093b5fbedb9aa6d8c9e293","altText":"Although the ceremonial space is entered by climbing to the terrace and entering through the south iwan, here on the right, the actual buria"},{"sha":"c86aa7e5f6ef4b1116dea68714b91f4250e90d97601c494a6f4592eda4964cd3","caption":"As in the Jami Masjid, the structure incorporates red sandstone and white marble. Here, a chamfered corner.","width":666,"height":998,"aspect":0.6673,"orientation":"portrait","layoutHint":"narrow","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/8ff75b954fe9529f747df586871a2d50","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/6e2570049b764b390ddb728d8376dbf4","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/3c0e56be9334da822fca78614fdc0be1","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/3c0e56be9334da822fca78614fdc0be1","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/3c0e56be9334da822fca78614fdc0be1","altText":"As in the Jami Masjid, the structure incorporates red sandstone and white marble. Here, a chamfered corner."},{"sha":"f74e2cea6981fec1d5359db17146c1483bccd83dcc40a7d529225cc00fd15516","caption":"Bright sun is excluded from the tomb by windows screened by *jalis,* carved-stone lattices.","width":666,"height":998,"aspect":0.6673,"orientation":"portrait","layoutHint":"narrow","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/8a76d1f1266f278627df9e7d399fd635","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/ef37dff2f8f763be10786c10cd123b9f","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/d44c7c640118d99b5bcc109e07b0ddc1","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/d44c7c640118d99b5bcc109e07b0ddc1","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/d44c7c640118d99b5bcc109e07b0ddc1","altText":"Bright sun is excluded from the tomb by windows screened by jalis, carved-stone lattices."},{"sha":"61ecdcf52017b0642ffe4cffa73cbeaa738e10c3bc6c51bc286d865e2e5b1f65","caption":"Humayun's cenotaph: white marble, without inscription. Behind it, *jalis *tracery. Above, there is a domed roof, but it's much lower than the one seen from outside the building. As in the Taj Mahal, the two domes are separated by a void filling almost all of the space enclosed by the exterior dome.","width":666,"height":998,"aspect":0.6673,"orientation":"portrait","layoutHint":"beside_text","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/f174aeceac751b8c1fbfe144c9d5ad7a","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/a75dd0d83ab18dfacfe798c87cf5a050","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/22580debd264daee71bad4c4a53d49a9","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/22580debd264daee71bad4c4a53d49a9","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/22580debd264daee71bad4c4a53d49a9","altText":"Humayun's cenotaph: white marble, without inscription. Behind it, jalis tracery. Above, there is a domed roof, but it's much lower than the"},{"sha":"96548bb839b1af7153218a2ca4b1f964f3704d39eedd4ba655242284957fc195","caption":"Nearby, the octagonal tomb of Isa Khan, who died in 1547, about a decade before Humayun. The tomb is unusual in its fusion of Islamic forms with Hindu details, especially its *chattris, *or domed kiosks. It's a design that can be traced back to the 1340s and the Delhi tomb of the Sayyid Sultan Mohammad Shah.","width":998,"height":666,"aspect":1.4985,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/30fed70bde0f762c3f1dd2708f933d26","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/4fbc741be38879b0777b62b63f0fa46c","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/4d46738422ee88f8e57260bdc1c120d4","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/702838438ef61913e97696a4867dac70","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/702838438ef61913e97696a4867dac70","altText":"Nearby, the octagonal tomb of Isa Khan, who died in 1547, about a decade before Humayun. The tomb is unusual in its fusion of Islamic forms"}],"createdAt":"2022-02-28T01:24:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2022-02-28T01:24:44.000Z","lead":"Humayun was the second Mughal (or Mogul) emperor. The son of Babur and father of Akbar, he died in 1556. His chief widow, a Persian from Khurasan, then commissioned the Persian Mirak Mirza Ghiyath to build an appropriate tomb. Mirak adopted the *hasht behesht *or \"eight paradises\" design developed in Isfahan. The style would culminate in India in the Taj Mahal, built by Humayan's great-grandson, Shah Jahan.","visitedDate":"2002","publishedDate":"2002-11-12T05:00:00.000Z","originalUrl":"https://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=563&chapterid=538&picturesize=medium","heroSha":"56bb7c0f60b4b94b461b9350fc56a7dab74128a6fa6cde4d7a296dd287386e4e","authorLabel":"Bryan Wallach","_meta":{"sameAs":[]}}