India Work Trip - Exploring Delhi & Taj Mahal Part 1

20 Dec - Found some time to explore Delhi during the last day of my work trip and went on a tour with YB to visit the touristy places that the city has to offer. Delhi, which has a rich cultural history most known by the rule of the Mughal Empire (1526 - 1858), has left many significant tombs of its emperors till this day. Half of the trip was spent on visitation to the tomb of the emperor. 

First stop: The Qutb Minar, is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, India and one of the most visited tourist spots in the city, mostly built between 1199 and 1220.

Second Stop: The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship that was dedicated in December 1986. Notable for its lotus-like shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all Bahá’í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all, regardless of religion or any other qualification. As the queue to the insides of the building is too long, we just took photos of the building and left (Save time as daylight is short during winter).

Third stop: Isa Khan Tomb. The mausoleum houses the tomb of Isa Khan Niazi, who was a noble at the courts of Sher Shah Suri and Islam Shah Suri. It is situated south of the Bu Halima's garden in the Humayun's Tomb complex. This building is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Same Third stop: Humayun's Tomb. This is the tomb of the Mughal second emperor, Mirza Nasir al-Din Muhammad commonly known as Humayun. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum under her patronage in 1558, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by her. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent and was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

Our trip ended with a drive pass of the famous India Gate. It is a memorial to 84,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921 in the First World War, in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, Persia, East Africa, Gallipoli and elsewhere in the Near and the Far East, and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. 13,300 servicemen's names, including some soldiers and officers from the United Kingdom, are inscribed on the gate. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the gate evokes the architectural style of the ancient Roman triumphal arches such as the Arch of Constantine in Rome, and later memorial arches; it is often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the Gateway of India in Mumbai.