Humayun S Tomb Floor Plan

From the corners the struc ture appears to be a complex series of interlocking surfaces.

Humayun s tomb floor plan.

Because the word chahar bagh means four garden etymologically it is tempting to think of this as a classical example. Humayun s tomb garden has a symmetrical plan. Moreover humayun s tomb is the first garden tomb on the indian subcontinent. Coloured tilework arranged geometrically.

The sarcophagus of humayun is found in the central domed chamber the head pointing south and facing east according to islamic practice. Maqbara i humayun is the tomb of the mughal emperor humayun in delhi india. Built to a meticulously symmetrical plan it displayed a range of timurid characteristics including the bulbous double dome on a high drum. Humayun s tomb stands within a complex of 27 04 ha.

Humayun s tomb seen from the south. Monday 18 october 1993. Humayun s tomb was built in the 1560 s with. The exit to sundar nursery has a traditional water cascade as its dominant feature making a symbolic connection with the central axis of the sunder nursery.

The symmetrical ground plan contains 124 vaulted chambers in all. And the main approach to humayun s tomb is a wide impressive pathway gently inclined along a grass slope set within the length of a large linear court. A high portal in the front elevation. Humayun s tomb the first mughal building of note to be constructed in india.

But it now seems unlikely that the old persian timurid and afgan gardens which inspired this pattern were themselves symmetrical. It was the first garden tomb on the indian subcontinent and. The building is constructed from red sandstone while the tomb itself is made of yellow and black marble. All photos by the author around the plinth however the tomb s chamferred corners allow the building to appear as a three dimensional form fig.

The mausoleum stands on a massive platform which has a height of up to 7 meters. 1564 by haji begum wife of the emperor humayun eight years after his death in delhi in the vicinity of the city of din panah founded by the emperor. The tomb was commissioned by humayun s first wife and chief consort empress bega begum also known as haji begum in 1569 70 and designed by mirak mirza ghiyas and his son sayyid muhammad persian architects chosen by her. In humayun s tomb each of the main chambers has in turn eight more smaller chambers radiating from it.

The principal entry court is a sunken garden in the shade of a large existing tree. That includes other contemporary 16 th century mughal garden tombs such as nila gumbad isa khan bu halima afsarwala barber s tomb and the complex where the craftsmen employed for the building of humayun s tomb stayed the arab serai. Site plan of humayun s tomb and adjacent monuments at delhi showing in green the inscribed property and in red the buffer zone publication date. Entry to humayun s tomb the entry to humayun s tomb is through a long axial processional track.