A GoUNESCO project

By:-Saumya Saxena

GoUNESCO Campus Ambassador

Entrance to Humayun’s tomb

Location of Barber’s Tomb : Humayun’s Tomb Complex

History of Barber’s Tomb’s

The striking tomb to the south-east side of the Humayun’s tomb supposedly belongs to the royal barber who served Humayun.

The popular myth is that the tomb is dedicated to Mughal emperor Humayun’s royal barber & was commissioned by Emperor Akbar.

The two graves inside the tomb are embossed with Quranic inscriptions & one of them is marked with the number 999, which represents the Hijra year when the tomb was built (1590-91 AD).

Although several historical structures surrounds the famous Humayun’s Tomb, the Barber’s Tomb happens to be the only structure standing inside the large square (char – bagh), which houses the magnificent Humayun’s Tomb at the very centre.

Its proximity to the main tomb and the fact that it is the only other structure within the main tomb complex suggests its importance.

Heritage Site The Humayun’s Tomb complex comes

under the supervision of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Restoration & conservation work on the tomb is being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust (AKT) as part of Humayun’s Tomb-NizamuddinBasti project.Barber’s Tomb’s restoration work as I inferred from the locals was just completed two years back i.e. in 2013.

Interaction with the Locals

When it comes to talking to the locals who have been in and around the complex area for quite some time either because they work there or because they live nearby, I found out that it is not much that they know about the tombs present in the complex, other than the fact that the main tomb belongs to the Emperor Humayun.

Also not many of the locals know that the Barber’s tomb during its restoration has been affixed with vibrant blue tiles to the four ‘chattris’ that surround the dome which add a bit of life to the otherwise dull structure.

Reason for its negligence and low footfall.

The magnanimous Humayun’s Tomb elegance and beauty, takes away all the attention of its visitors from The Barber’s tomb which is not even a five minute walk away. One can actually locate a tomb standing all by itself in a corner of the complex.

As I was roaming around the complex area, I too noticed that many tourists which were being guided by a personal Guide, were just concentrated towards Humayun’s tomb .The guide himself wasn’t taking them towards the Barber’s Tomb, which was a bit surprising .

After looking for a guide, I came across Mr. Arun Dixit -north India’s regional level guide since 2010. He was the best person to ask why some heritage sites are neglected and not given their due importance; why was there low footfall on some heritage sites and so on.

Since Mr.Dixit had also worked with ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), he told me that the Tourism of India is the one who plans trips for foreigners. Also he told, it takes approx. 21 days to cover Old and New Delhi, and usually tourists who come to India are also concerned with covering not only Delhi but nearby states as well. In fact, there are so many heritage sites and other places to visit in Delhi itself that people who do come on a tour to Delhi, are not able to visit all the places because of:

Lack of time

Presence of many significant places

The tour guides who are not the ones who prepare the itinerary but just follow it, have to cover places which are mentioned and not waste time on other “not-so-significant” sites.

When I asked him why they would leave some place like Barber’s tomb which was already in Humayun’s Tomb complex area, a place which is part of their itinerary, he replied by saying, “we are told to market only important places, and leave out the rest, unless someone specifically asks us to visit that place.” And one can always ask their tour guide to take them to places they want to have a look at.

Tourist’s view point On meeting Mr. Xu Teoh, one of the many Chinese tourists, he

told us why he had visited Humayun’s tomb. He was being taken to places mentioned in the itinerary; and secondly he told me, he would be “more than willing to visit unexplored places and get to know more about India’s heritage and culture”, provided he has time.

How to Promote and Preserve Heritage Sites.

Carry out programs , internships and initiatives like GoUNESCO does to promote World Heritage site

Workshops, lectures, visits to cultural sites and study trips for students to provide them with hands-on experience

Promotion and funding of such sites.

To promote awareness and encourage young people to become involved in heritage conservation on a local as well as on a global level.

To foster collaboration amongst stakeholders in the promotion of World Heritage Education on a national and international level.

The tourism industry which includes the government and private players, need to manipulate destinations as experiences and not sightseeing point alone.

Aggressive marketing is absolutely critical to be seen and heard well. Whether it is broadcasting ‘Incredible India’ campaigns abroad, holding tourism seminars or offering Indian locations with facilities to promote foreign film productions in the country.

Creating an awareness of the importance of preserving these invaluable sites by sharing news and links through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Restoration works wherever needed.

Wherever possible, a barricade should be installed so that visitors will not touch, scratch or write on the monument.

Being a part of the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ initiative

Promotion of INTACH club in schools to encourage students in becoming more aware of our heritage as well as heritage sites.

At Humayun’s

Tomb