Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

Humayun's Tomb is the Mughal garden tomb that set the pattern for the Taj Mahal, and one of Delhi's three UNESCO sites. Here are its timings, ASI ticket prices and the other monuments in the complex.

Humayun's Tomb was built after the death of the second Mughal emperor, Humayun, during the reign of his son Akbar. ASI credits its start to Humayun's senior widow, Bega Begum (Haji Begum), and gives the most likely date as 1565–66. It is the first fully developed garden tomb in the subcontinent. The mausoleum stands in the middle of a charbagh, a garden divided into four equal parts by walkways and water channels.

The double-domed tomb of red sandstone and white marble rests on a high arcaded plinth. Its central octagonal chamber holds Humayun's cenotaph, and the surrounding rooms hold more than a hundred graves of the Mughal family, which is why it is sometimes called the dormitory of the Mughals. Its proportions and garden setting influenced later Mughal tombs, including the Taj Mahal. Entry today is through the western gateway, although the southern gate was the original entrance.

Within the complex are other monuments, among them the octagonal tomb of Isa Khan, which is older than Humayun's, the Afsarwala tomb and mosque, the Arab Serai gateway and the Barber's Tomb (Nai-ka-Gumbad). In 1857 the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was captured here by the British. The complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Sunder Nursery is next door, and the Nizamuddin Dargah is across the road.

The nearest metro stations are JLN Stadium and Jangpura. Allow one and a half to two hours.