Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Conservation of Subz Burj, one of the unique double-domed architectural gems in the national Delhi, India, has been completed after three years of concentrated efforts carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Sandstone lattice screens (Jaalis) have been restored at arched doorways, where iron frames were installed. Rare gold and lapis lazuli paintings and plaster patterns on the ceiling have also been exposed after a careful cleaning process carried out under the watchful supervision of the experts. “Its architecture features such as incredible artwork, tiles, and jaalis, especially the painting on its ceiling makes it rare.  The opulent gold artwork and proximity to the shrine of the 13th century Sufi-Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya suggest that the sepulchre must have been of a powerful and close noble of the ruler,” said Ratish Nanda, chief executive officer of AKTC.

The Nila Gumbad, or the blue dome, stands at the far-east of the Humayun tomb complex. It isn’t visited by as many sightseers as the Mughal emperor’s mausoleum, but it is the oldest edifice in the compound, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. In the beginning there was just this Nila Gumbad. The tomb was restored to its original state this year—it was brought within the Humayun Tomb complex in December 2019. The dome of the Humayun Tomb complex originally contained 150,000 blue Timurid brick tiles, out of which 20,000 had disappeared. The conservation project—executed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India—included compensating for these missing tiles. The new tiles were handmade in the style of the original. Many of the original tiles have lost their glaze, but they have been retained because of their antiquity.