Humayun's Tomb Museum Illustrated Map Mural

Large scale illustrated guide map mural of the Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Site displayed in the Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Site Museum

Rod Hunt was commissioned by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to design a huge and detailed illustrated guide map of the Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Site, Nizamuddin Basti and the Sunder Nursery for a permanent exhibit at the new Humayun World Heritage Site Museum in New Delhi. The aim of the map was to help visitors understand the world heritage site, its dense ensemble of medieval monuments and its immediate setting. Rod worked closely with Ratish Nanda CEO of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to create a detailed an accurate representation of the architectural restoration and conservation of the historic tombs, monuments and wider site. This hugely complicated map illustration had to accurately depict the tombs and monuments architectural features down to the smallest detail. The final mural illustration is printed at 12m x 4.5m in size and is displayed in the vestibule gallery of the museum.

Map illustration of the Humayun's Tomb site installed in the vestibule gallery of the Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Site Museum

Located in the heart of New Delhi, the Nizamuddin Area comprises the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb, the vibrant seven centuries old settlement of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti and its surrounding areas of 70 acre Sunder Nursery, in addition to the 16th century Batashewala Tomb-Garden Complex, tomb of 16th century courtier poet Khan I Khanan ‘Rahim’, and the Mughal- period caravanserai of Azimganj Serai. The Urban Renewal project has successfully unified these segregated zones of the conservation area into an urban historic district of considerable cultural significance. The project has successfully integrated Conservation, socio-economic development and environmental development objectives, and unified the three segregated sites of Humayun’s Tomb – Sundar Nursery – Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti into a cultural district for the city of New Delhi.

Humayun’s garden-tomb is built on a monumental scale, with no precedence in the Islamic world. The garden-tomb truly represents Mughal innovation with its monumental scale, and its garden setting representing the Quranic ideal. The monumental scale achieved here was to become the characteristic of Mughal imperial projects, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. Within the complex also stand seven Mughal era garden-tombs which together form a unique ensemble of 16th century garden-tombs.

Nizamuddin Basti is one of the densest ensembles of medieval Islamic buildings in India, inhabited by a vibrant local community with 700 years of living culture. The area is being visited by millions of tourists and pilgrims each year.

Sunder Nursery is in the heart of the city of Delhi. It occupies an area of 90 acres and hase 20 heritage structures, of which six are UNESCO World Heritage monuments. Parts of the complex stand within the buffer zone of Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site. Conservation of the 15 monuments that stand within the Park and have also undergone the same careful conservation by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC)r as Humayun’s Tomb.