Mughal emperor Humayun died in 1556 and was buried in his
palace in Dehli.
Later he was reburied in Sirhind, Punjab in order to secure
him from possible damage by Hindu king Hemu, who had defeated the Mughals in
Agra and Delhi in 1556.
In 1565, nine years after Humayun’s death, his empress
consort Bega Begum decided to create the most beautiful tomb for her deceased
husband. The construction lasted 7 years and was finished in
1572.
The decline of the monument started almost immediately after its construction. The capital was
moved to Agra, the Mughal dynasty started to decline and the monument lost its importance to the ruling elites.
After a century from the construction of the monument the surrounding gardens were being used as
vegetable gardens for people who settled near the mausoleum. In 1857, after British invasion of Delhi, these
vegetable gardens were replaced with English style gardens. Later from 1903-1909 the original look of the garden
was recreated by the order of Viceroy, Lord Curzon.
Restoration
Humayun’s tomb is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
Since then several important renovation projects were accomplished in this
complex.
Major restorations of the monument and surrounding gardens
were organized from 1999 to 2003.
Thanks to the efforts of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the
Archaeological Survey of India and the National Culture Fund a project with
total cost of $650,000.
As a result all the monuments and green spaces were restored. The water channels of the garden
were re-laid, a new water circulation system for the walkway channels was created, more than two thousand trees
were planted in the garden, and the fountains of the garden started functioning again.
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