Humayun's Tomb - A Masterpiece of the Mughal Era

By Farhat Afzal

Since the beginning of eleventh century, massive tombs have been a part of the Muslim world.
Red sandstone and white marble structures dating back to fourteenth century can be found in
various parts of India. Timurid dynasty contributed to many radially symmetrical buildings -
tombs and palaces - in many parts of Iran and Central Asia. However, there are no precedents
that can be found that accounts that all these elements existed in a single monument, until the
construction of Humayun’s tomb. Documented as the first ever tomb built for a Mughal emperor,
this is the structure that is considered to be an inspiration for the most well known example of
Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal.

Aerial view of Humayun's tomb. Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
The significance of Humayun’s tomb goes way beyond just being a prototype for the Taj Mahal.
This tomb was the first structure in which the slightly bulbous and double dome, a feature
borrowed from Persia and Samarkand, was introduced in India. It is also the first example of a
tomb set within a cross-axial garden in India. Its enormous scale and radially symmetrical plan
makes the building stand out as one of the greatest examples of the Mughal royal mausoleum
building style.

There has been plenty of debate surrounding the identity of the builder of the tomb. Many
scholars have argued that it was Haji Begam, Humayun’s widow who had commissioned this
mausoleum. However, according to ​Akbar Nama (2: 367), ​ written by Emperor Akbar’s official
biographer Abu’l Fazl, Haji Begam was on a pilgrimage to Mecca during much of the
construction period of the tomb. This has been confirmed by both Abu’l Fazl and Father
Monserrate, a Jesuit priest who resided in Emperor Akbar’s court during the early 1580s.
Although, there are various reports regarding the construction period of the tomb, the common
belief is that construction began in 1565, nine years after Humayun’s death. The work was
completed in 1572, at a cost of 1.5 million rupees at the time. Given the magnificence, huge
cost and innovation in planning of the mausoleum, it was evident there was a patron involved
and it was none other than Humayun’s son and successor, Akbar.

Perspective view of Humayun's tomb. Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
A combination of Persian architecture and indigenous building styles is perhaps another of the
many striking features of this grand mausoleum. One of the few contemporary historians who
mentioned the construction of this structure, ‘Abd al-Qadir Badauni mentioned it was designed
by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, an architect of Iranian descent, who was brought from Herat in
northwest Afghanistan.

The location of the tomb also happens to be on an incredibly significant archaeological setting,
centred at the Shrine of the 14th century Sufi Saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. The tomb sits on
a flat plain of Delhi, near the banks of the Jamuna, with a series of Sultanate and Mughal
monuments in its surroundings. Due to the widespread believe that it is auspicious to be buried
near a saint, the location has turned out to be the densest ensemble of Islamic medieval
buildings in India, thanks to all the tomb construction spanning seven decades.

The tomb stands on a large plinth, which, at a height of 6.5m and width of 99m, is a terraced
platform with two bay deep vaulted cells on all four sides. In spite of the fact that the tomb is
basically a square volume, it appears to be octagonal in shape due the chamfered edges. Four
distinct octagonal units separated by four recesses make up the mausoleum, with the entrance
located in the recess located in the centre of the southern facade.

Topping off the mausoleum is the 42.5m high Persian double dome, flanked by pillared kiosks,
or ​chattris,​ which are a distinct Indian architectural feature​. ​This combination of Persian and
Indian architectural styles work beautifully together, thus making Humayun’s Tomb a great
example of a hybrid of styles of two separate cultures.

Many of the features of the dome were some of the most obvious characteristics of
fifteenth-century Timurid architecture. Hence, instead of the building a simple dome that was
typically seen in pre-Mughal India, the architect built a double dome to show connection of both
the occupant and its patron with the Timurids.

Contrast is one of the key elements the architect had in mind when designing the mausoleum.
While the rest of the building is made up of red sandstone, with white and black marble and
yellow stone detailing, the exterior dome is of purely white marble. Additionally, the symmetrical
and simple exterior design is distinctly the opposite of the complex interior floor plans. Two
radially symmetrical symmetrical floors make up the interior of the building. A central domed
chamber with the emperor’s tomb in the middle and four corner rooms comprise the first floor.
The second floor consists of a complex system of halls and passageways surrounding the
tomb’s central chamber. The large corner rooms as well as the numerous cells at the plinth level
are a clear indication that the structure was originally designed to accommodate several graves.
As a result of which, Humayun’s tomb is also referred to as the ‘dormitory of Mughals’, since
over 150 Mughal family members are buried there.
 Elevation and first floor plan of Humayun's tomb. Source: Hidden Architecture

Persian style is once again evident in this complex in the ​Char-Bagh ​(Four Gardens), a
quadrilateral garden layout based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in The Holy
Quran. Causeways divide the gardens into four sections, with shallow water channels
connected to pools, located at the centre of each causeway. Each of the four sections in the 30
acre garden is further divided into smaller squares with pathways. With the synthesis of garden
and mausoleum, Humayun’s tomb became one of the unique ensemble of Mughal
garden-tombs. As a matter of fact, this style was so much favoured that it was repeated fifty
years later at the tomb of Itimad al-Dawla (Agra, 1626-28) and the Taj Mahal (Agra, 1632-43).

For Humayun’s son and the patron of this tomb, Akbar, there were two purposes behind building
this great structure: to commemorate his father’s legacy as well as to make a political statement.
By building the tomb at such a large scale, Akbar wished to represent the range and scope of
empire, as well as establish his personal goals and alliances. Akbar’s dynastic origins are
defined by the symmetrical plan and double dome, while the red sandstone and white marble
represent his Indian origins.

By late 20th century, the magnificent tomb had fallen into a state of dilapidation. The masonry
and stonework were broken and the gardens were run down. Additionally, vandalism and illegal
encroachments were taking place, which posed a serious threat to the preservation of the
mausoleum. In 1997, research for restoration work was taken up by the Aga Khan Trust for
Culture (AKTC), in collaboration with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Restoration began
1999 and was completed in 2004, with the gardens fully restored as well.

Although Humayun’s Tomb stands as a precursor for the Taj Mahal, the most widely celebrated
piece of Mughal architecture, for many historians, as well as myself, this building deserves to be
known for what it is, rather than what it inspired. Perhaps art historian, Glenn Lowry has
described it best in his dissertation titled ​The Tomb of Nasirud-Din Muhammad Humayun,​ “....its
combination of boldness and refinement, energy and strength gives the building its power. That
its parts vary in the degree of their success does not detract from the monument’s forcefulness
or its attempt to create an entirely new approach to architecture in India.”

Bibliography:

1. Lowry, Glenn D. “Humayun's Tomb: Form, Function, and Meaning in Early Mughal
Architecture.” Muqarnas, vol. 4, 1987, pp. 133–148. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/1523100​.
2. Lowry, Glenn D. “The Tomb of Nasirud-Din Muhammad Humayun.” Harvard University,
1982.
3. Ruggles, D. Fairchild. 1997. "Humayun's Tomb and Garden: Typologies and Visual
Order." In Gardens in the Time of the Great Muslim Empires: Theory and Design, edited
by Attilio Petruccioli, 173-186. Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill.
4. Fazl, Abul (1907). Akbar Nama, Volume 1. The Asiatic Society. p. 340
5. http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_humayuntomb_complex.asp
6. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/232
7. http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/tomb-humayun-garden-tomb-inspired-
taj-mahal-003222