A heritage site steps into the future
baolis that once populated Delhi. Inside, it feels like you are walking through time as a map showcases Delhi’s 2,500-year-old history. Visitors can see architectural models of monuments such as the Nila Gumbad, which sits in the middle of a busy traffic intersection a few yards from the Humayun’s Tomb complex.
There are details about unknown Mughal buildings, including Humayun’s mystic palace of which no trace remains. The permanent collection has 500 rare Mughal miniatures, manuscripts, coins, astrolabes, glazed tiles, and more, from the collections of the National Museum, Archaeological Survey of India and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. “The idea of this museum is to enable people visiting the World Heritage Site to have a deeper understanding of the area before they leave," says Ratish Nanda, conservation architect and CEO of AKTC.
Around two million visitors throng Humayun’s Tomb every year and over a million come to Sunder Nursery next door. A similar number make their way to the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya in the same precinct. The museum hopes to help visitors understand the historical and cultural significance of the entire area, and not just the mausoleum.
“This entire neighbourhood is home to an ensemble of buildings, created from the 14th century onwards, 60 of which have been conserved by AKTC. This is where the pluralist Hindustani culture— the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb—took root," explains Nanda. “Sufi Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya imparted teachings on universal love, Amir Khusrau Dehlavi created the qawwali genre of music, and Rahim, known for his dohas, built a mausoleum for his wife close to Humayun’s Tomb.
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