Page 668 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

666  SOUTH INDIA

Hyderabad Street-by-Street: Charminar

In the heart of the Old City, Charminar (“Four
Towers”) is Hyderabad’s signature landmark.
It was built in 1591 by King Muhammad Quli
Qutb Shah of the Qutb Shahi dynasty (see
p670) and, according to legend, marks the Caps on sale on
spot where he first saw his lover, the beautiful the pavement
outside
Hindu dancer Bhagmati. Another story says he Mecca Masjid
built it as thanksgiving at the end of a deadly
plague epidemic. Today, Charminar is the hub Chowmahalla
of a busy commercial area, where the grand Palace
mosques and palaces of the erstwhile rulers
are surrounded by lively bazaars selling
everything from pearls and perfumes to
cabbages and computers.
LAAD BAZAAR ROAD

. Mecca Masjid SHAH ALI BANDA ROAD
Built between 1617 and
1694, this huge mosque
has bricks from Mecca
embedded in its central
arch. Several Nizams are
buried here.

Nizamia Unani Ayurvedic
Hospital was built by the
last Nizam in the 1920s for
the practice of traditional
Graeco-Arab medicine.
KOTLA ALNAH ROAD

Silver-leaf is beaten into
wafer-thin sheets in the
shops in this street, and
used to decorate sweets.

0 metres 50
0 yards 50
. Charminar
Grand arches frame
Key
Charminar’s four sides. On
Suggested route the top floor is the city’s
oldest mosque. The minarets
soar to 49 m (161 ft).
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p703 and p719

666-667_EW_India.indd 666 26/04/17 11:50 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.7)
Date 24th April 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm