Isa Khan’s tomb is a crumbling oasis of tranquility located in the heart of New Delhi. Isa Khan’s tomb is just across the road to the shrine of the Muslim Sufi-saint, Nizamuddin and Humayun’s Tomb. Believed to be built around 1547-1548, Isa Khan Niyazi was an Afghan noble in the court of Sher Shah Suri. According to historians the tomb of Isa Khan Niyazi influenced the building of Humayun’s tomb, particularly building the tomb in walled garden enclosure.

The shrine itself is enclosed within a vast wall, about 15 feet high, and built of red sandstone. It is an elegant structure, similar to the walls around the Red Fort; flat up to about 4 feet from the top, with arches above that height. As you enter through the gateway, you see an octagonal shaped building (the shrine) in the centre. On the right-hand side of the enclosure is a mosque, set into the wall with a flat roof above it, punctuated by a few small domes and one central dome.

The tomb has a covered inner sanctum with shaded passageway around it, a balcony, and stairs leading up to it on 4 out of the 8 sides of the building. The tomb consists of one main dome in the centre, and several smaller ones around the edges. The arches leading to the shaded inner area of the tomb had the remains of blue decoration painted above them, with smaller snippets of yellow just visible as well.

The inner sanctum can be entered via a door on the opposite side of the shrine from the entrance to the compound. Before entering the inner sanctum take of your shoes. In all the inner sanctum contains 5 tombs and none of them is marked so it isn’t possible to tell which one is Isa Khan’s, and who the other tombs contain. The inside of the tomb is remarkably cold, neglect, dark, and spiders’ webs made it feel a bit creepy.

The mosque on the right-hand side of the compound is about 70 feet long and only 15 feet wide. It seems the mosque is no longer in use, and is an empty, echoing, dusty space. The inside of the mosque (take your shoes off again) has some interesting arch-shrines, set into the walls, and the flagstones you walk across to see the arches are uneven with the footsteps of centuries. While not now a religious building, it has a serenity that makes it a relaxing and pleasant place to be. A small staircase to the left of the mosque leads up to the roof and provides a good view over the compound. The staircase and the roof both have huge cracks in them so be very careful where you tread.

Where:
Near Nizamuddin dargah
Nizamuddin
Entrance: Free
Timing: Sunrise-Sunset