Emperor Humayun's Garden Tomb

The Nila Gumbad Wall

Nila Gumbad translates to "blue dome," and the Nila Gumbad located just outside of the southeastern quadrant of Humayun's Garden Tomb is an octagonal tomb with a dome that is covered in turquoise tile.¹

"Built in the 1530’s, [the Nila Gumbad] is one of the earliest Mughal era monuments to have been built in Delhi. The mausoleum was built on an Island in the River Yamuna."² The "Nila Gumbad was originally surrounded by a walled enclosure and is recorded to have been originally entered through a large gateway on the south - both have now disappeared."³

Both sides of the wall that is shared between the Nila Gumbad's site and Humayun's Garden Tomb have a series of niches. There is a larger niche that is two and a half times wider and one and a half times taller than the rest of the niches on the wall that has an attached platform on the Nila Gumbad's site's side of the wall that has an arcade on both sides. The northern 10 niches of this wall are repeated on Humayun's Garden Tomb's side of the wall. The back of the large niche and an additional niche complete the southern end of Humayun's Garden Tomb's eastern boundary. The Nila Gumbad's site's side of the wall continues past the corner of Humayun's Garden Tomb with additinal niches on the reconstructed wall.⁴ During excavations, the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative also discovered a northern enclosure wall on the Nila Gumbad's site, which was reconstructed.⁵

During the conservation works, the archaeological remains of a ramp were discovered. ... It is believed that this ramp was used to lift stone and other building material that arrived here on boats - for the construction of Humayun’s Mausoleum.⁶

While rebuilding the wall, the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative also reopened a preexisting passageway between the Nila Gumbad's site and Humayun's Garden Tomb.⁷