Hyderabad: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Hyderabad owes its existence to a water shortage. Towards the end of the 16th century, the banks of the Musi River proved to be a preferable location for Mohammed Quli, of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The royal family abandoned Golconda Fort and established the new city of Hyderabad there. In 1687 it was overrun by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Subsequent rulers of Hyderabad were viceroys, installed by the Mughal administration in Delhi. In 1724 the Hyderabad viceroy, Asaf Jah, took advantage of waning Mughal power and declared Hyderabad an independent state with himself as leader. The dynasty of the nizams of Hyderabad began, and the traditions of Islam flourished. Hyderabad became a focus for arts, culture and learning and the centre of Islamic India. Its abundance of rare gems and minerals - the world-famous Kohinoor diamond is from here - furnished the nizams with enormous wealth.

Modern History

In the early 19th century the British established a military barracks at Secunderabad, named after the nizam at the time, Sikander Jah. When Independence came in 1947, the then nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, considered amalgamation with Pakistan, but tensions between Muslims and Hindus increased. Military intervention saw Hyderabad join the Indian union.

Recent History

Today, the west side of Andhra Pradesh's capital is, with Bangalore, the seat of India's mighty software empire; it goes by the name 'Cyberabad' and generates jobs, wealth and posh lounges with abandon. Across town from all this sheen is the old Muslim quarter, with centuries-old Islamic monuments and even older charms. An important centre of Islamic culture, Hyderabad is southern India's counterpart to the Mughal splendour of Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, and a sizable percentage of Hyderabad's population is Muslim. The city gracefully combines Hindu and Islamic traditions - while a strategically placed 17.5m/57ft-high buddha looks on.

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