Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

The story of this place

Humayun was the second Mughal emperor, the son of Babur and the father of Akbar. He passed away in 1556, and his senior widow, Bega Begum, gave the rest of her life to one purpose: building him the grandest tomb the empire had seen. Work began in 1565 and the tomb was completed around 1572. She chose a Persian architect, Mirak Mirza Ghiyas of Herat, and after his death his son Sayyid Muhammad carried the work to its finish.

What they created changed Indian architecture. This was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent, a mausoleum set at the centre of a charbagh, a paradise garden divided into four quarters by walkways and water channels. It was also the first building in India to use red sandstone on such a scale. The Taj Mahal, built about eighty years later at Agra, follows the idea born here. UNESCO recognised this and inscribed the tomb on the World Heritage List in 1993.

The site was chosen with care, close to the dargah of the great Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Over the centuries, so many members of the royal family were buried within the complex that it came to be called the dormitory of the Mughals.

What you will see

Give the smaller monuments their due before you rush to the main tomb. Near the entrance is the garden tomb of Isa Khan, a noble of the Suri court. It was built in 1547, before Humayun's tomb itself, and its octagonal shape and glazed tiles belong to an older style. It is a lovely, quiet corner that most visitors miss.

Then the main tomb appears through its gateway, and it is a sight that slows your step. The mausoleum sits on a high, wide platform, built of red sandstone with white marble laid into it, and crowned by a full white marble dome. Around it spreads the charbagh, with narrow water channels running between the lawns. Inside, the cenotaph of the emperor rests in a tall, calm central chamber, and light falls softly through carved stone screens.

Since July 2024 there is one more reason to come. The Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Site Museum, a sunken museum built at the entrance by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture together with the Archaeological Survey of India, displays more than 500 artefacts, from Mughal miniatures and manuscripts to coins, astrolabes and textiles. The building sits low in the ground so that it does not disturb the view of the monuments, and it also connects the tomb complex to Sunder Nursery, the beautiful heritage park next door. The museum runs from 10 am to 9 pm and is closed on Mondays and national holidays, so plan your museum visit around that.

Best time to visit

October to March is the kindest season in Delhi, with cool mornings and clear light. April to June is very hot, and July to September brings humid monsoon weather, though the gardens turn a deep green then.

Within the day, come early. The monument opens at sunrise and closes at sunset, and the first hour of the morning gives you soft light on the sandstone and very few people. Late afternoon light on the dome is also lovely. The tomb is open every day of the week, so only the museum's Monday closure needs planning.

How to reach

The tomb is in Nizamuddin East, in the middle of Delhi, so reaching it is easy. Indira Gandhi International Airport is the gateway for flights, and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, one of Delhi's major stations, is only a short drive away.

By metro, the nearest station is JLN Stadium on the Violet Line, and from there it is a short auto ride to the gate. Taxis and app cabs drop you right outside. The dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Sunder Nursery and Purana Qila are all close by, so this corner of Delhi fills a very satisfying day.

Tips from our travel experts

Keep about two hours for the tomb and its gardens, and add another hour if you visit the museum, which we strongly suggest, because it makes everything you see afterwards more meaningful. If you have half a day, finish with a slow walk in Sunder Nursery next door.

There is an entry fee for the monument and a separate ticket for the museum, with different rates for Indian citizens and foreign nationals. The rates change from time to time, so please check the current rate on the ASI booking portal or ask your consultant. Carry an ID, and buy tickets online to skip the queue.

Wear comfortable shoes, because the complex is larger than it looks, and the platform of the main tomb is reached by a steep flight of steps. In summer, carry water and finish your visit before the midday heat.

For our NRI and OCI travellers

If Delhi is your landing city, this is the gentlest first-day outing we know. The gardens are calm, the walking is easy, and the new museum tells the Mughal story in a way that children raised abroad follow happily. Many of our overseas guests tell us they finally understood the Taj Mahal only after seeing this tomb first.

Carry your OCI card or passport for the ticket counter, since rates differ by nationality and the staff will guide you as per the current rule. If your parents are travelling with you, the paths are level and smooth almost everywhere, so the visit does not tire them.