History
The Charminar was built in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty of India. There are varying legends as to why he built the magnificent structure. One account says that the sultan built it in honor of his wife, Bhagyamathi (or Bhagmathi), together with the construction of Hyderabad itself. Another, more popular, legend is that the sultan built it to honor a promise to Allah when he prayed for an end to a plague that ravaged the new city. The building got its name from its four minarets, which were possibly meant to honor the first four caliphs of Islam. Another legend also holds that a secret tunnel runs underneath the monument that connects the palace at Golconda to it should the royal family need to escape but so far, no such tunnels have been found.
Architecture and Build
The Charminar is a square structure with each side 20 meters (approximately 66 feet) long, with four grand arches each facing a fundamental point that open into four streets. At each corner stands an exquisitely shaped minaret, 56 meters (approximately 184 feet) high with a double balcony. Each minaret is crowned by a bulbous dome with dainty petal like designs at the base. Unlike the Taj Mahal, Charminar's four fluted minarets are built into the main structure. There are 149 winding steps to reach the upper floor. The structure also known as profuseness of stucco decorations and arrangement of balustrades and balconies.
The structure is made of granite, limestone, mortar and pulverised marble. Initially the monument with its four arches was so proportionately planned that when the fort was opened one could catch a glimpse of the bustling Hyderabad city as these Charminar arches were facing the most active royal ancestral streets.There is also a legend of an underground tunnel connecting the Golkonda fort to Charminar, possibly intended as an escape route for the Qutb Shahi rulers in case of a siege, though the location of the tunnel is unknown.
A mosque is located at the western end of the open roof and the remaining part of the roof served as a court during the Qutb Shahi times. The actual mosque occupies the top floor of the four-storey structure. A vault that appears from inside like a dome, supports two galleries within the Charminar, one over another, and above those a terrace that serves as a roof, bordered with a stone balcony. The main gallery has 45 covered prayer spaces with a large open space in front to accommodate more people for Friday prayers.
The clock on the four cardinal directions was added in 1889 and there is a Vazu(water cistern)in the middle with a small fountain for Ablution before offering prayer in the Charminar Mosque.
Islamic architecture is characterized mostly by the deployment of arches, minarets, and domes in order to make a unified whole, and the Charminar answers to this principle impressively. In spite of this, though, it still has several features that answer to Hindu architecture, and as a whole, it embodies elements of the temple architecture of South India, a fitting testament to the Hindu and Islam-influenced culture of Hydebaran and the dynasty that built it.
Surroundings
The area surrounding Charminar is also known by same name. The monument overlooks another and grand mosque called the Makkah Masjid. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the 5th ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, commissioned bricks to be made from the soil brought from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, and used them in the construction of the central arch of the mosque, thus giving the mosque its name. It formed the centerpiece around which the city was planned by Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah
A thriving market around the Charminar: Laad Baazar is known for jewellery, especially exquisite bangles, and the Pather Gatti is famous for pearls. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000 shops.
Timings:All days of the week : 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
entry fee 5 for Indians , 100 for foreign tourists
visit duration: 30 Minutes
The Charminar was built in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty of India. There are varying legends as to why he built the magnificent structure. One account says that the sultan built it in honor of his wife, Bhagyamathi (or Bhagmathi), together with the construction of Hyderabad itself. Another, more popular, legend is that the sultan built it to honor a promise to Allah when he prayed for an end to a plague that ravaged the new city. The building got its name from its four minarets, which were possibly meant to honor the first four caliphs of Islam. Another legend also holds that a secret tunnel runs underneath the monument that connects the palace at Golconda to it should the royal family need to escape but so far, no such tunnels have been found.
Architecture and Build
The Charminar is a square structure with each side 20 meters (approximately 66 feet) long, with four grand arches each facing a fundamental point that open into four streets. At each corner stands an exquisitely shaped minaret, 56 meters (approximately 184 feet) high with a double balcony. Each minaret is crowned by a bulbous dome with dainty petal like designs at the base. Unlike the Taj Mahal, Charminar's four fluted minarets are built into the main structure. There are 149 winding steps to reach the upper floor. The structure also known as profuseness of stucco decorations and arrangement of balustrades and balconies.
The structure is made of granite, limestone, mortar and pulverised marble. Initially the monument with its four arches was so proportionately planned that when the fort was opened one could catch a glimpse of the bustling Hyderabad city as these Charminar arches were facing the most active royal ancestral streets.There is also a legend of an underground tunnel connecting the Golkonda fort to Charminar, possibly intended as an escape route for the Qutb Shahi rulers in case of a siege, though the location of the tunnel is unknown.
A mosque is located at the western end of the open roof and the remaining part of the roof served as a court during the Qutb Shahi times. The actual mosque occupies the top floor of the four-storey structure. A vault that appears from inside like a dome, supports two galleries within the Charminar, one over another, and above those a terrace that serves as a roof, bordered with a stone balcony. The main gallery has 45 covered prayer spaces with a large open space in front to accommodate more people for Friday prayers.
The clock on the four cardinal directions was added in 1889 and there is a Vazu(water cistern)in the middle with a small fountain for Ablution before offering prayer in the Charminar Mosque.
Islamic architecture is characterized mostly by the deployment of arches, minarets, and domes in order to make a unified whole, and the Charminar answers to this principle impressively. In spite of this, though, it still has several features that answer to Hindu architecture, and as a whole, it embodies elements of the temple architecture of South India, a fitting testament to the Hindu and Islam-influenced culture of Hydebaran and the dynasty that built it.
Surroundings
The area surrounding Charminar is also known by same name. The monument overlooks another and grand mosque called the Makkah Masjid. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the 5th ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, commissioned bricks to be made from the soil brought from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, and used them in the construction of the central arch of the mosque, thus giving the mosque its name. It formed the centerpiece around which the city was planned by Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah
A thriving market around the Charminar: Laad Baazar is known for jewellery, especially exquisite bangles, and the Pather Gatti is famous for pearls. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000 shops.
Timings:All days of the week : 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
entry fee 5 for Indians , 100 for foreign tourists
visit duration: 30 Minutes
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