Unseen artefacts, little-known stories: Humayun's Tomb museum set to open

Nine years after the foundation stone of the Humayun Tomb World Heritage Site Museum was laid, the 100,000 sq ft facility that offers a glimpse into the life of the second Mughal emperor is set to open to the public in New Delhi. Tourism and culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate it on July 29, alongside Prince Rahim Aga Khan.
 

The museum, a facility owned by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has been designed and built by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The funds came from the tourism ministry and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, with the construction and exhibition supported by some embassies and entities from corporate India.
 

Nestled underground, like a stepwell (baoli), it connects the 16th century Humayun’s Tomb complex with the adjacent Sunder Nursery, a heritage park sprinkled with monuments, more than 60 of which have been restored in this part of Delhi that is steeped in history.

Babur’s throne's at the museum

The museum houses more than 500 artefacts from the collections of the National Museum, ASI, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Each of these pieces, which are being displayed for the first time, tell a story about the central character — Humayun — about whom not enough is commonly known. In many ways, the museum is also the gateway to Humayun’s Tomb and the cultural context of the Nizamuddin area, where the emperor rests.
 

Gallery, library, travels
 

The entrance leads to an immersive gallery, with a 270-degree screen providing a virtual tour of the many monuments in the vicinity. These films and animations depict the evolution of the site over 500 years and the tile patterns of Humayun’s tomb chamber.

View inside the Humayun Tomb World Heritage Site Museum

Another gallery, titled “Where the Emperor Rests”, is a window into Humayun’s life and interests. One of the exhibits features a painting of Humayun, alongside another from the National Museum showing his birth. His interest in calligraphy is highlighted and so is his biography, Humayun-Nama, penned by his half-sister, Gulbadan Begum, at the request of Humayun’s son, Akbar. 

Humayun’s unique travelling library, carried on camels, is also represented, emphasising his love of books. His extensive travels (three times Marco Polo’s), which spanned 34,000 km and included visits to 122 cities, from Dhaka to beyond the Caspian Sea, are vividly captured in a film. This theme is further explored through  manuscripts and a replica of an inscription at the Sarnath Stupa, marking his visit.
 

The museum underscores that he travelled not only for military conquests but also with the curiosity of a true traveller.

Also part of the museum is Babur’s throne — ivory white and rather humble for the Mughal Empire’s founder.

View inside the Humayun Tomb World Heritage Site Museum

Challenging notions
 

Among the lesser-known aspects of Humayun’s life the museum reveals is his respected status in Iran, evidenced by a scroll from the Shah of Iran instructing governors to welcome him with grandeur, challenging the notion that he went to Iran as a refugee after Sher Shah Suri’s assault. Artefacts like a rosewater sprinkler, a handwritten Quran, and a water jug borrowed from the National Museum narrate other such stories.
 

Celestial spheres and a series of seven contemporary sculptures point to his interest in astronomy and astrology. A museum-quality model of Sabz Burj, said to be the mausoleum of his mother, Maham Begum, and the first Mughal monument to have been built in India, is also featured. 

The original golden finial (kalash), which once adorned the dome of Humayun Tomb

The museum brings to light a number of historical facts through other exquisitely recreated models, such as Sher Mandal, within the Purana Qila fort where he died, showing what its interior once looked like. Animations recreate the once intricate interiors on large-scale models of the monuments.
 

Another gallery, called the “Icons of a Sacred Landscape”, focuses on cultural figures from the Nizamuddin area, including Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and poet Amir Khusrau Dehalvi. 
 

Besides the permanent galleries, the museum has temporary ones, and a facilities building, to be opened later, with souvenir shops, meeting rooms, a café, and a library.