Charminar - The Pride of Hyderabad

Site Name: Charminar

Site Type: Monument

Location:  Hyderabad city, Telangana state, India

Highlights: 16th century monument; global icon of Hyderabad city

Nearest Railway Station: Hyderabad

Nearest Airport: Hyderabad

How to reach: Well connected by road, rail and air

Hotel: All sorts of options are available in Hyderabad 

Restaurants: Hyderabad city has no shortage of restaurants of all varieties

Hyderabad is an important city in South India. It is the capital city of the newly formed Telangana state as well as Andhra Pradesh state of India. Hyderabad, which is also called as 'the city of Pearls' is a historical city. In the last two decades, the city became very popular thanks to the IT companies. There are many popular and varieties of tourist spots such as forts, palaces, lakes, masjids and temples located in this city. Let us explore the most important tourist destination of the city, Charminar, in this article.

Introduction:

Charminar is Hyderabad and Hyderabad is Charminar. A visit to Hyderabad without going to Charminar is not appreciated. Charminar, located at the heart of the historic city of Hyderabad, is the identify of the city. It is represented as the global icon of the city. It is one of the well known and most recognized structures across India.

History:

The Urdu word "Char minar" means four towers. As the name suggests, this magnificent monument is in a square shape with the four minarets in each of the corners. The monument was built by the fifth Sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty named Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 CE. There are different legends about the origin of the monument. The most popular legend is that the Sultan constructed this monument as well as the mosque on the top floor to honor his promise to the God when he prayed for an end to plague that ravaged the Hyderabad city. There is another legend which claims that he built this monument along with the formation of Hyderabad city in memory of his wife Bhagmati. 

Structure:

Charminar was built on the intersection of the historical trade route that connects the Golconda markets with the port city of Masulipatnam. The monument was built at the heart of the Hyderabad city. Qutb Shah's Prime Minister Mir Momin Astarabadi played an important role in the construction of this monument. The structure which was built in the Indo-Islamic architectural style along with the Persian architectural elements was constructed by bringing architects from Persia.

The monument is square in shape and has four minarets which are very tall in four sides. There are magnificent arches that overlook four thoroughfares in each side. Each minaret has four stories. From this place, the visitors can get the glimpse of the entire old city of Hyderabad. At the western end on the terrace, there is a mosque, the oldest mosque in Hyderabad city. 

The entire ornamented structure looks very attractive with balconies and stucco decorations. The clocks on the four sides on top of the building, which were later added in 1889 CE, enhance the beauty of the structure.

Happy travelling.