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Charminar
Charminar, the edifice of four minarets, is the legendary masterpiece of the
Qutb Shahis. The awesome rectangular structure was built upon four grand arches
by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the end of the plague.
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The plan is a square, each side 20 meters long, while the four arches are 11
meters wide and rise 20 meters from the plinth. The four storied minarets rise
20 meters from the roof of the massive monument and measures 24 meters from the
plinth. The western section of the roof contains a mosque with 45 prayer spaces
with a large open space in front to accommodate more for Friday prayers. To the
east of this space is a veranda with a large open arch in the centre, flanked
by smaller ones both sides.
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Golconda
Fort
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Founded originally by the
Kakatiyas in the 13th century, the existing structure was expanded by the Qutb
Shahi kings into a massive fort of granite with walls and ramparts extending
some 7kms in circumference. The fortress city within the walls was famous for
the diamond trade and the Koh-i-noor diamond is said to have come from here.
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Mecca Masjid
This is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad and lies 100 yards south-west of
Charminar. The name is derived from the Grand Mosque at Mecca on which it is
patterned. The hall is 67 meters by 54 meters and 23 meters high. The roof is
supported by 15 arches, five on each of the three sides. The western side is
blocked by a high wall to provide the Mehrab.
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At each end are two huge
octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite each topped by an
arched gallery that is crowned by a dome. The mosque is one of the largest in
India and can accommodate ten thousand people at a time.
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Qutb Shahi Tombs
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The tombs erected in the memory of the departed kings of Golconda are truly
magnificent monuments that have stood the test of time and the vagaries of
nature. They stand a kilometre north of Golconda fort's Banjara Darwaza.
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