Delhi's three UNESCO World Heritage properties

Background

Three properties in Delhi are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Humayun's Tomb, Delhi; Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi; and the Red Fort Complex. Humayun's Tomb was inscribed in 1993 under criteria (ii)(iv). UNESCO records that “This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent”, that “It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal”, and that it is surmounted by “a 42.5 m high double dome clad with marble flanked by pillared kiosks”. The garden-tomb is also called the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’ because over 150 Mughal family members are buried in its cells. Qutb Minar and its Monuments was inscribed in 1993 under criterion (iv). UNESCO describes it as “Built in the early 13th century a few kilometres south of Delhi, the red sandstone tower of Qutb Minar is 72.5 m high, tapering from 2.75 m in diameter at its peak to 14.32 m at its base”. The Red Fort Complex was inscribed in 2007 under criteria (ii)(iii)(vi). UNESCO records that it “was built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad – the new capital of the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan”, and that it “is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh, built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546, with which it forms the Red Fort Complex”.