Queen Hamida Banu Begum, also known as Haji Begum, the grieving widow of the second Mughal emperor Humayun (1508-1556) had it built. It was built in the 16th century, from 1565 until 1572. It is the earliest example of Persian influence in Indian architecture, elegant example of early Mughal architecture, in fact Mughal architecture at its graceful best. The structure is the first to use red sandstone and white marble in such great quantities. This mausoleum is precursor to the Taj Mahal – it means that this was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, which became much more famous than its forerunner. 🙂
It is 47 m high. The brass finial over the white marble dome is itself 6 m high. The fact that it has over 100 graves within it earned it a name “Dormitory of the Mughals”. It also house the graves of the wives of Humayun.
Isa Khan Niyazi (1529-1599) was an Afghan noble in the court of Sher Shah Sur´s court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals. His tomb was built during his lifetime. This octagonal tomb was built only approximately 20 years earlier than Humayun´s tomb and no wonder then that some architectural details seen here were then used during the construction of Humayun´s tomb. It is situated in an octagonal garden. It is strikingly decorated by canopies, glazed tiles and lattice screens.
Isa Khan´s mosque close to his tomb has a grand red sandstone central bay. It was also built in Isa Khan´s lifetime around 1547. It is very interesting that in this enclosure, where the Isa Khan Tomb is now together with Isa Khan´s mosque, the entire village has been settled until the early 20th century.