Context:
After a decade-long restoration effort by the Telangana government’s Department of Heritage and Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park was opened to the public.
Relevance:
GS I: History
Qutb Shahi Tomb Complex:
- Constructed by the Qutb Shahi dynasty, which governed from 1518 to 1687 AD, this site is situated in Ibrahim Bagh, Hyderabad.
- The complex comprises 30 architectural elements including tombs, mosques, and a mortuary bath dedicated to the Qutb Shahi rulers.
- Notable for being 500 years old, the site includes expansive mausoleums, idgah, graves, ritual mosques, a traditional hammam (bath), and baolis (stepwells).
- Architectural Significance:
- The site exemplifies an Indo-Muslim dynastic necropolis.
- Situated on an elevated platform, the tombs merge Persian, Pathan, and Hindu architectural influences, featuring grey granite and elaborate stucco decorations.
- This unique necropolis is globally distinguished as the burial site of an entire dynasty, set within meticulously landscaped gardens adorned with detailed stonework.
Insights into the Qutb Shahi Dynasty:
- The Qutb Shahis were Muslim rulers of the Golconda kingdom, positioned in the southeastern Deccan region of India, which was one of the five successor states of the Bahmani Sultanate.
- Founded by Quli Qutb Shah, originally a Turkish administrator for the eastern provinces of the Bahmani realm.
- Spanning from 1518 to 1687, this period saw the establishment of Golconda as the initial capital by Qutb Shah after declaring sovereignty in 1518.
- Later, towards the late 17th century, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah initiated the development of Hyderabad, which lies a short distance from the original capital.
- The territorial expanse of the kingdom included regions from the Godavari River in the north to the borders of Tamil Nadu in the south, extending west to Bijapur and east to the Bay of Bengal.
-Source: Indian Express
