Only a stone's throw from Lutyen's Delhi - the seven centuries old Nizamuddin Quarter could not be more diverse, different and dissimilar than its elite neighbour. Dotted with centuries old shrines, tombs, and mausoleums, amidst and around a crowded yet vibrant residential area, the Nizamuddin area, named after the 14th century Sufi saint, is a cultural, architectural, and a spiritual preserve. Once an unassuming village, Ghiyaspur was renamed Nizamuddin following the saint's death. The Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Project - an Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) initiative in partnership with various agencies - is the first of its kind to combine conservation with environmental and socio-economic development. It aims to revitalise and unify the three long-neglected historical sites within the Nizamuddin Quarter - Humayun's Tomb complex, Nizamuddin Basti and Sunder Nursery - into a distinctive heritage zone that spreads over 200 acres
The UNESCO has conferred two awards for conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti in the capital. The Nizamuddin Area comprises the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb, the centuries-old settlement of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti and Sunder Nursery, in addition to the 16th Century Batashewala Tomb-Garden Complex, tomb of 16th Century courtier poet Khan I Khanan ‘Rahim’, and the Mughal-period caravanserai of Azimganj Serai. The Urban Renewal project, which started in 2007, has successfully unified these segregated zones of the conservation area into an urban historic district of considerable cultural significance.
NEW DELHI: Urban revitalisation and conservation efforts initiated at Nizamuddin Basti, one of the oldest and historical settlements in the national capital, has received twin UNESCO recognitions: Award of excellence 2021 for cultural heritage conservation and recognition for sustainable development. After migration from Badayun in UP sometime in the 1240s, noted Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya settled in a Delhi village Ghiyaspur, located on the tributary of River Yamuna, and later buried in the vicinity. The settlement that developed around his shrine came to be known as Nizamuddin Basti.
Hidden in plain sight on a traffic island on Mathura Road, with an estimated 60 lakh vehicles passing by annually, is one of Delhi’s earliest Mughal-era monuments— Sabz Burj. It has been conserved and restored over the last four years using traditional materials and building-craft techniques favoured by 16th Century craftsmen. Immense significance The tomb, which was built in 1530, does not have any markings pointing to the identity of those buried under it. However, it is of immense significance due to the ceiling on its double dome structure painted in pure gold and lapiz and revealed after conservation efforts began.
NEW DELHI: Conservation of Subz Burj, one of the unique double-domed architectural gems in the national capital located on a traffic island close to Nizamuddin Police Station, has been completed after three years of concentrated efforts carried out by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Sandstone lattice screens (Jaalis) have been restored at arched doorways where unsightly iron frames were installed. Rare gold and lapis lazuli paintings and incised plaster patterns on the ceiling have also been exposed after a careful cleaning process done under the watchful supervision of the experts.
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expertise, skills, and money, to produce a quality of result for a place which is very complex, very important historically, one which is on the World Heritage List, and one where decisions must recognize a variety of interests. I’m able to write of being inspired. Inspired by the qualities of the World Heritage Site brought to life...
expertise, skills, and money, to produce a quality of result for a place which is very complex, very important historically, one which is on the World Heritage List, and one where decisions must recognize a variety of interests. I’m able to write of being inspired. Inspired by the qualities of the World Heritage Site brought to life...
expertise, skills, and money, to produce a quality of result for a place which is very complex, very important historically, one which is on the World Heritage List, and one where decisions must recognize a variety of interests. I’m able to write of being inspired. Inspired by the qualities of the World Heritage Site brought to life...
expertise, skills, and money, to produce a quality of result for a place which is very complex, very important historically, one which is on the World Heritage List, and one where decisions must recognize a variety of interests. I’m able to write of being inspired. Inspired by the qualities of the World Heritage Site brought to life...