This mausoleum for the Emperor Humayun is the first mature example of Mughal architecture on the sub-continent. It represented a leap in Mughal architecture, and together with it’s Charbagh garden, typical of Persian gardens but never before seen in India, it set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture. This then reached it’s zenith with the Taj Mahal at Agra.

The tomb was commissioned by Humayun’s first wife and chief consort, Haji Begum (also known as Bega Begum) in  1569-70. Inspired by Persian architecture, the tomb reaches a height of 47m and is 91m wide. The tomb was the first building in India to incorporate a Persian double dome on a high neck drum, and measures 42.5m. It is topped by a 6m tall brass finial ending in a crescent, which was a common feature with Timurid tombs.

The tomb is placed in the centre of a 30 acre Charbagh – an Islamic quadrilateral garden layout based on the Four Gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Qu’ran. This was the first and largest of it’s kind in the South east Asian region. Also located in the complex are various other tombs and monuments which include Nai-ka-Gumbad (Barber’s Tomb) and the tomb and mosque of Isa Khan.