Humayun was the second Mughal emperor, succeeded his father Babur in 1530 at the age of 22. He ruled modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India until he was overthrown by the Afghan Sultan, Sher Shah Suri, in 1540. With the help of the Persians, he regained an even larger kingdom that spanned nearly one million square kilomenters in 1555, just one year before he died.
Six years after his death, Humayun’s Persian widow, Hamida Banu Begum, ordered his tomb to be built in central Delhi. It took nearly ten years to complete and is known for being the first garden-tomb of Mughal imperial architecture in Southeast Asia, later inspiring the construction of the Red Fort in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. The tomb now contains may sarcophagi, including the wives of Humayun and several later Mughal emperors and princes.
