Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Rahim’s tomb, Delhi’s own monument of love built nearly 50 years before the iconic Taj Mahal, which stood in a ruinous condition with a “risk of collapse” has finally received a new lease of life after six-year-long “monumental conservation” work.

A multi-disciplinary team of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and support of a corporate conglomerate, worked extensively on the project which married traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.

New Delhi: The Aga Khan Foundation on Tuesday partnered with the German embassy, which will provide Rs 41.5 lakh for rebuilding of a traditional ‘baoli (water stepwell) in the Humayun Tomb’s complex here.

It was announced during the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Aga Khan Trust for Culture Chief Executive Ratish Nanda and the German envoy Martin Ney in the Mughal-era Arab Ki Sarai premises.

The Arab Ki Sarai, an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument, houses an out-of-use stepwell.

The Capital will have its first sunken interpretation centre linking three historic sites -- Humayun's Tomb, Sundar Nursery and Nizamuddin Basti -- if multiple agencies required to give clearances come together and give the go-ahead for the project.

Interpretation centres, popularly known as site museums that detail the history of a cultural or natural heritage, have been largely missing from the Indian arena. The project, a first of its kind in the country, has been conceptualised and designed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

A centuries-old marvel will come to life on Tuesday evening. The numerous fountains and water channels in the 16th century Humayun?s Tomb will have water flowing in them after 400 years. The gardens have been restored to their pristine and original Mughal glory, thus erasing the colonial character it had wrongly acquired since 1860s.