The Humayun's tomb stands in an extremely significant archaeological setting, centred at the Shrine of the 14th century Sufi Saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. (Image: Ahona Sengupta)
India’s first sunken museum at the magnificent Humayun’s Tomb site in Delhi that marries modern 21st-century architecture with Mughal-era craftsmanship in its design is all set for its inauguration next week.
The museum’s inauguration, scheduled for July 29, will be performed by Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, coinciding with the ongoing World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in the city, an official said.
India is hosting the 46th WHC session at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from July 21-31, marking the first time the country is hosting a major UNESCO event.
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Humayun’s Tomb, a 16th-century monument located in Nizamuddin, is one of Delhi’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is anticipated that a member of the prestigious Aga Khan family will attend the inauguration.
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is constructing the museum on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as part of an urban renewal project. Situated at the entrance of the World Heritage complex, the museum will connect the Nizamuddin, Sunder Nursery, and Humayun’s Tomb sites and will highlight the region’s heritage over the past seven centuries.
The museum’s principal structure is situated six meters below ground, with the gallery block rising four feet above the surface and the roof designed to resemble a Mughal garden, according to an AKTC official in April 2015. The facility will feature galleries, a library, seminar halls, a crafts centre, and a cafeteria, with the Mughal monument’s finial—damaged in a 2014 storm—serving as a focal point.
Inspired by northern India’s medieval baolis (water tanks), the museum, covering 10,000 square meters, integrates modern architecture with Mughal aesthetics. Sheesham wood doors in the galleries recall the grand ‘Darwaza’ entrance gateways of Mughal monuments, while ancient artifacts narrate the rich history of Nizamuddin and its landmarks.
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Architectural models of the Nizamuddin Dargah and its baoli, as well as other notable local landmarks, are displayed, with a model of a Sunder Nursery monument also featured in a glass case.
Construction of the sunken museum began in April 2015, and it was initially slated for completion in 2017. The museum will also house several finials, sandstone and marble elements, terracotta pipes, and over 400 earth toys discovered at the nearby Isa Khan’s tomb site. (With inputs from PTI)
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