Old City, Hyderabad

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Old City ఓల్డ్ సిటీ حیدر آباد
قديم شهر, City of Pearls,City of Minars,[1] City of Lakes[2]
—  suburb  —
400 Years old Makkah Masjid, مسجد مكة Hyderabad, Photo: 1885
Old City ఓల్డ్ సిటీ حیدر آباد Location of Old City ఓల్డ్ సిటీ حیدر آباد in Andhra Pradesh and India
Coordinates	17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366°N 78.476°E / 17.366; 78.476Coordinates: 17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366°N 78.476°E / 17.366; 78.476
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
Founded	1592
Deputy Mayor	Jaffer Hussain
Commissioner	A K Khan, IPS
Member of Parliament	Asaduddin Owaisi
Planning Agency	GHMC, QQSUDA
Official languages	Urdu,Hindi and English
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation • Coastline	260 square kilometres (100 sq mi) • 536 metres (1,759 ft) • 0 kilometres (0 mi)
Climate • Precipitation Temperature • Summer • Winter	Aw (Köppen) •      603 mm (23.7 in) •      26.0 °C (78.8 °F) •      35.9 °C (96.6 °F) •      23.5 °C (74.3 °F)
Codes • Pincode • 500 xxx • Telephone • +91–40, 08413, 08414, 08415, 08418, 08453 • UN/LOCODE • IN HYD • Vehicle • AP 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 22, 23, 24, 28 & 29
Website	www.ghmc.gov.in

The Old City, Hyderabad is a walled city of Hyderabad, India, located on the banks of the Musi River built by Qutb Shahi sultan Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 AD. It remained the royal seat of the Nizam of Hyderabad until the end of the reign of the last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (r. 1911–1948). Named after Hyder Mahal, wife of the ruler Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah, Hyderabad takes pride in its possession of magnificent antiquated structures, domical mosques, and monuments (r. 1580–1611).^[3]

Once a vibrant city teeming with palatial mansions of Nawabs and mosques, Hyderabad today is extremely crowded but remains the symbolic heart of cosmopolitan Hyderabad.^[4][5]

Language

The old city is one of the main places where the Urdu language flourished and became the official language of the Hyderabad State under the Nizams in 1884 AD.^[6] The large Muslim population primarily speak a dialect of Urdu known as Dakkhani or Deccani (meaning "language of the Deccan"). Standard Hindi is also widely spoken and understood.

Landmarks

Front view of Charminar at Old City

As the historical region of Hyderabad, the old city contains many landmark buildings including, Charminar (literally "Four minarets"), a structure built on the spot where Quli Qutb Shah prayed for the end to a plague epidemic.

The Mecca Masjid (mosque), situated to the southwest of Charminar, is one of the oldest mosques in India. Begun by Muhammed Quli Qutub in 1617 under the supervision of Mir Faizullah Baig and Rangaiah Choudhary, it was later completed during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1694. The mosque is built of granite and has a main hall 75 feet (23 m) high, 220 feet (67 m) wide and 180 feet (55 m) long, big enough to accommodate ten thousand worshippers at a time. The entrance arches are made of single slabs of granite. Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah commissioned bricks to be made from soil brought from Mecca and used them in the central arch and construction of the mosque, hence its name.^[7][8][9] Other mosques in the region include the 300-year-old Toli Masjid renowned for its architecture, and Pahaday Sharif, where 400 stairs brings visitors to a place of worship built by the Nizams.

The Golconda Fort was the Seat of the Qutb Shahi kingdom and in the 15th century the centre of a flourishing diamond trade.

Chowmahalla Palace

Chowmahalla Palace was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty where the Nizam entertained his official guests and royal visitors.

Falaknuma Palace

Built by Nawab Viqar al-Umra in 1872, Falaknuma Palace is noted for its architecture and is the most opulent of the Nizam's palaces. The interior features works by Florentine sculptors and a 100-seat Dining Table.

The Purani Haveli was originally the palace of the Nizam's Parents, later renovated to become the quarters of the Nizam's son. It is a U-shaped complex with a single-story building in the European style.

The Salar Jung Museum is reputed to contain the world’s largest one-man collection

H.E.H The Nizams Museum, Purani Haveli. Home to the famous wardrobe of Mahbub Ali Pasha, who is said never to have worn the same thing twice, it is the world's longest wardrobe, built in two levels with a hand-cranked wooden lift. The device occupies the entire length of one wing of the palace.

The Salar Jung Museum contains the since augmented collections of the former Prime Ministers of Hyderabad. The museum is reputed to be the world’s largest one-man collection.^[10]

The Tombs and Mosques of Qutb Shahi Tombs are the resting place of Qutub Shahi Sultans, while the Paigah Tombs contain 'Paigah' nobles (tied by blood and marriage to the Nizams) and are about 200 years old. These unique lime and mortar tombs are intricately carved and feature marble inlay work.

Michel Joachim Marie Raymond, a French mercenary, is interred in the Raymond Tomb. He was a military commander in the service of the second Nizam during 1786 AD and also his close friend. The black granite tomb is located in Saroornagar, and offers a panoramic view of the area.

Hyderabad is built around the Mir Alam Tank, the largest lake in the old city and the site of the Nehru Zoological Park, an 300 acres (1.2 km²) area filled with various species of birds and animals. The tank is named after its builder Mir Alam, Prime Minister of Hyderabad between 1804 and 1808, and comprises a one-mile bund with 21 semi-circular arches.^[11]
Madina, near Charminar, is one of the oldest commercial suburbs in the city opened in 1947 on the premises of the Aladdin Wakf. Before the discovery of oil in that country, Hyderabad was richer than Saudi Arabia and the rents received from the area's buildings were sent to Saudi Arabia to help poor Muslims in Medina.
Osman Sagar is a small dam built by the Nizams to provide drinking water and to check the floodwaters of the Musi River. An artificial lake off the river Musi.^{[clarification needed What is?]} The site also has well-kept gardens and swimming pools.^[4]

Hyderabadi Biryani

University

Built during the period of the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Osmania University has an imposing facade. After the Independence of India, the city has seen a rapid growth in educational institutions, providing many facilities for their students. It also has a great deal of IIT colleges with student facilities.

Cuisine

The old city has many restaurants offering Hyderabadi cuisine which is noted for its use of spices and herbs. The food is prepared using different types of spices, in which each spice adds a special taste to the food with a modern touch, while preserving the traditional quality of the food. The most famous dishes of Hyderabad is Hyderabadi Biryani and Hyderabadi Haleem, which are served with great delight.

Transport

The old city is well connected by railway, road, and air. Auto rickshaws are available for getting around the city at reasonable rates while APSRTC city buses circulate within the city and also travel to the nearby towns and villages. Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station is in Old City, Hyderabad and the nearest railway station is Hyderabad Deccan Station, which offers good connections with the rest of India. The newly developed Shamshabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport lies 6 to 8 kilometres (3.7 to 5.0 mi) from the old city.

Madina near Charminar

Bazaars

Sarojini Naidu describes the Bazaars of Hyderabad in her poem In The Bazaars of Hyderabad.^[12] Hyderabad has been a trading center for centuries and the bazaars of the old city are world-renowned for their pearls, diamonds, and bangles.

A store at Laad Bazaar selling bangles and jewellery. The Laadbazar and the Charminar market area are well known for pearls.

The street leading from Charminar to the square on the west is known as Laad Bazaar and is the bridalwear shopping market of the old city. Hyderabadi glass bangles known as Sona Bai are available here. This colourful shopping market of the old city is tucked away in one of the streets leading off from the Charminar. Bangles, bridalwear, pearls, Attar^{[disambiguation needed ]} (perfume) and the traditional Hyderabadi glass and stone studded bangles are all sold here.^[13][14][15] The Madina Market also known as Madina, Hyderabad is known for its wholesale cloth market providing goods from the regions of Telengana, northern Karnataka, and Maharashtra.^[16]

The markets of Charminar's Gulzar House are favoured for the gold, diamonds, and pearls with which Hyderabad is synonymous. Cultured pearls studded in gold and silver jewellery of intricate design are a speciality. Pearls come in many shapes and of particular interest is the ‘rice-pearl’ – a tiny variety. There is also the precious "Basra"; a pearl unmatched in lustre, color, and price which is available in select stores. The pearls are sold in strings or raw by weight.^[17]

Culture

The city has a culture that is distinct from the rest of Andhra Pradesh, showing Islamic influences and a courtly presence resulting from its period as the capital of the Nizams. This is more evident in the old city. The city is still a deeply conservative place and people need to dress appropriately, especially in the old city.^[18]

Time line of communal riots in old city Hyderabad

The Old City, Hyderabad is considered a communally sensitive region and becomes an army cantonment during any rise in tension in community relations. Hyderabad saw the first demonstration of communal Hindu feelings in 1923 with the formation of the Arya samaj Party. The party played upon the discrimination Hindus felt in a Muslim-majority state. Around the same time, Muslim political forces were also developing in India. For example, the Muslim League started organising during this period before its official formation in 1935. Disagreements between HIndus and Muslims wreaked havoc for more than a decade, causing the first riot in 1938 in what is now the Old City of Hyderabad, an event that marked the beginning of communal riots in Hyderabad.^[19]

Further riots occurred in Hyderabad as follows:

• 1939 Aryasamaj Riot.^[19]
• 1947 Razakar Movement.^[19]
• 1948 Police action – Operation Polo.^[20]
• 1969 Telenganga Agitation became a Hindu-Muslim Riot.
• 1977 Post-election Riots.^[19]
• 1978 Rameza Bee case – a riot against the Hindu Police Constable rape of Muslim Women.^[21][22][23]
• 1980 Ganesh Visarjan riots^[21]
• 1990–1991 Communal riots occurred due to the killing of Sardar and Majid Khan^{[disambiguation needed ]}.^[19]
• 1992 Post Babri Masjid demolition.^[19][24][25]
• 2007 Post Mecca Masjid bombing.^[26][27][28]
• 2010 Moosa Bowli running up saffron flag riot.^{[clarification needed][29][30]}

Since the end of the worst riots in 1991, which left over 150 dead and more than 300 seriously injured, Hyderabad has experienced a period of relative peace, although more people were killed in "non-communal" individual arguments and by police fire. Neither the destruction of the Babri Mosque in 1992 or the recent 2002 Gujarat violence have incited large-scale riots in Hyderabad.

Both the Hindu and Muslim communities of the city have come to a general understanding that fighting does not have a positive outcome. Both communities are also doing relatively well economically in the Old City Hyderabad.^[19][31]

Gallery

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  Heritage structures in Hyderabad

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  Tomb of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in Hyderabad, India.

• 

  Hyderabad High Court, Constructed on 31 March 1919 by Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII.

• 

  Asman Gadh Palace of Paigah Nawab.

• 

  The Chowmahalla Palace was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizam.

• 

  thumb|Mir Alam Mandi, A vegetable market in Old City Hyderabad.

• 

  A view of Old City from the top of Charminar.

• 

  Gate to the walled city of Hyderabad

• 

  Copper household utensils shop in Laad Bazaar

See also

Hyderabad portal

• List of tourist attractions in Hyderabad
• Hyderabad state
• List of million-plus cities in India

References