After lunch we visited Humayun's Tomb, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Humayun's full title, Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Jam-i-Sultanat-i-haqiqi wa Majazi, Sayyid al-Salatin, Abu'l Muzaffar Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun Padshah Ghazi, Zillu'llah, wouldn't quite fit on the sign.
The Mughals were Asian descendants of the Mongol warriors Ghengis Khan and Tamerlane. Among other places they conquered was India, where they ruled between the 1500s and the mid-1800s.
Humayun was the son of the very first Mughal emperor. He ruled for a decade in the mid-1500s before being expelled. The Shah of Persia helped him regain power in Delhi, where he again ruled before dying a year later. His widow had the tomb built in 1569-70, 14 years after his death.
Almost as soon as we entered, we had a feeling of Déjà vu, having visited the Taj Mahal only two days earlier. Yes, we learned that Humayan's tomb was an inspiration for the Taj (built a century later) and for other Muslim tombs. It's set in a geometrically arranged garden intersected by water channels that probably symbolizes paradise. This tomb marks the first appearance of a Persian "double-domed" structure, and the first time a tomb was placed on a large platform.
As with the Taj Mahal, Humayun's Tomb is visually appealing due to its symmetry and balance, and of course its intrinsic beauty.
Kathy and Brian
Two retired educators alternating joyfully between seeing the world and enjoying our eight grandchildren (in order of birth), Jake, Avery, Taegan, Lily, Peyton, Riley, Blane, and Jace.
Kathy and Brian met in the clarinet section of the University of California (Santa Barbara) Symphony Orchestra several decades ago.
Brian's Western Canadian roots and Kathy's Colorado ties resulted in their making beautiful music together along with producing a cross-border crop of descendants.
Kathy spent a year studying in Vienna at the Institute for European Studies and the University of Vienna.
Brian started the school band program in Hope, British Columbia, and later became the high school's vice-principal for 6 years and subsequently principal for 15 years before retiring in 2001.
Kathy, in between raising our three children, taught kindergarten and first grade, middle school, and high school - mathematics, computer studies, ESL, and her first love, band, before retiring in 2001.
We enjoy sharing our travel experiences and providing the odd travel tip to friends, relatives, and visitors.