http://panjab07.blog.com/1828231/
June 6, 2007
excerpt:
The Future of History: Humayun’s Tomb-a model in historic preservation.
After the bandh A and I went to Humayun’s Tomb. I had the option of going to the Qutb Minar or Humayun’s Tomb (no worries though, Qutb Minar and Jama Masjid day will be sometime in late July when I return to Delhi). I cannot even begin to explain how great it was to go to this site. It’s a little shy of 400 years old, but looking at it, you would think it’s no more than a couple hundred years old. It has aged gracefully. The Aga Khan Foundation gave the Archaeological Survey of India a half a million dollars to restore this site, and the ASI crew has been working hard! They have done a great job!! The work continues (we got some great construction photographs!), but for the most part, it is finished.
There are lots of other smaller tombs (they’re still quite large though) around Humayun’s. We checked those out first. They’re all in the same complex, just yards away from each other. You could clearly tell which parts were restored, but the workers did a wonderful job in matching the original color and detail of the buildings. It is really remarkable. They even took the time and effort to make benches that match the aesthetic of the kind of redstone used in the complex. Even the signs and boards match the original buildings. Now THAT’S great preservation.
Ismailimail 