India: Delhi 2

Yesterday was only half of our day in Delhi. We stopped for a nice lunch (of curry!) and then headed out to see more.

Humayun’s Toumb: The tomb was commissioned by Humayun’s wife Hamida Banu Begum in 1562 CE, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian architect.^[1] It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent,^[2] and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, India, close to the Dina-panah citadel also known as Purana Qila, that Humayun founded in 1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale^[3][4] The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993,^[2] and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is still underway. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri’s court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE. (from Wikipedia, so you know it’s accurate!)

Qutb Minar: a tower located in Delhi, India. It is the world’s tallest brick minaret with a height of 72.5 meters (237.8 ft). Construction commenced by Qutb-ud-din Aibak who won Delhi from the Prithviraj under Muhammad of Ghor as his commander in chief, and finished by Iltutmish, The Qutub Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutub complex.

These sandstone columns were amazingly intricate.

We all got in rickshaws and went through a tour of a small market and then into the heart of the city. A typical street in Delhi ( I wouldn’t consider this one of the crowded areas. At all.)

That’s all for Delhi. We left early the next morning and headed out to Agra. See you tomorrow!

Advertisement