I'm torn with this review. On one hand humayun's tomb has a privileged place in mughal history as the first of the monumental musoleums that would end with the iconic Taj mahal. On the other hand I feel the techniques that would make the Taj mahal the masterpiece it is, hadn't yet shone through. The structure lacks the striking verticality of later mughal structures and the decoration with pietradura had yet to be perfected. This leaves the mausoleum rather plain, though the alternation of marble and sandstone somewhat lessens this.

On another note it's refreshingly empty compared with the utterly overcrowded Taj mahal and it includes a number of lesser mausoleums which are indeed very interesting and some utterly devoid of tourists. Such as the striking tomb of Isa Khan Niazi (photo), a noble from the courts of Sher Shah Suri, the man who gave the mughals a run for their money.