Abstract
Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and since then has undergone extensive restoration work that aimed at the revitalization of the architectural spirit and original intention of the builder. It provided suspense-packed discussions and required a critical dialogue with architectural preservation in India as an originally colonial discipline. The conservation was based on prevalent international charters but was to be “rooted in the Indian context.” The following text presents the monument’s historical background and an on-site debate between several experts in the field of conservation who met at the mausoleum in November 2009 to talk about contested notions like architectural “character” and “material authenticity.”
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Notes
- 1.
“Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Ceremony to Inaugurate the Restored Humayun’s Tomb Gardens (New Delhi, India), 15 April 2003,” see Aga Khan Development Network, Press Centre, 2003.
- 2.
“Urban Renewal in Delhi India: The Humayun’s Tomb-Sunder Nursery-Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Project,” see Aga Khan Trust for Culture: Historic Cities Programme.
- 3.
Besides the mausoleum and its gardens, the complex includes several significant monuments, such as Isa Khan’s tomb enclosure, Afsarwala tomb and mosque, Arab Serai, Bu Halima’s Tomb, Nila Gumbad on the eastern side, and several monumental gateways.
- 4.
Maulvi Zafar Hasan, the then assistant superintending archeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India, published a List of Muhammadan and Hindu Monuments in the Province of Delhi, 4 volumes (Calcutta: Superintendent Government Printing, 1916–1922).
References
Aga Khan Development Network, Press Centre. 2003. “Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Ceremony to Inaugurate the Restored Humayun’s Tomb Gardens (New Delhi, India), 15 April 2003.” Accessed 23 February 2011. http://www.akdn.org/Content/590
Aga Khan Development Network, Press Centre. 2013. “Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Inauguration Ceremony for the Restoration of Humayun’s Tomb (New Delhi, India), 18 September 2013.” Accessed 18 November 2015. http://www.akdn.org/Content/1203/Speech-by-His-Highness-the-Aga-Khan-at-the-Inauguration-Ceremony-for-the-Restoration-of-Humayun-s-Tomb-Delhi-India
Aga Khan Trust for Culture: Historic Cities Programme. “Urban Renewal in Delhi India: The Humayun’s Tomb-Sunder Nursery-Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Project.” Accessed 23 February 2011. http://www.akdn.org/hcp/india.asp
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Archaeological Survey of India and Aga Khan Trust for Culture. 2008 (March). “Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site. A Conservation Proposal.” New Delhi: Unpublished document.
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Weiler, K. (2017). The Conservation of Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi: A Debate On-Site. In: Weiler, K., Gutschow, N. (eds) Authenticity in Architectural Heritage Conservation. Transcultural Research – Heidelberg Studies on Asia and Europe in a Global Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30523-3_15
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