11km to the west of the Indian city of Hyderabad lies the ruined Golconda Fort. Once the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, the 16th century Shia Muslim rulers of the region, the area was renowned for its diamond trade. At the time, the only known diamond mines in the world were in India and Golconda was the central market city. Famed gems such as the Hope Diamond (currently housed in the Smithsonian), Koh-i-Noor (part of the British crown jewels), Darya-ye-Noor (Iranian crown jewels), and the Regent Diamond (currently part of the French treasury and on display in the Louvre) are from, or believed to be from Golconda.
The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (400ft) high and is surrounded by massive crenelated ramparts. The beginnings of the fort date to 1143, when the Hindu Kakatiya dynasty ruled the area. The Kakatiya dynasty were followed by the state of Warangal, which was later conquered by the Islamic Bahmani Sultanat. The fort became the capital of a major province in the Sultanate and after its collapse, became the capital of the Qutb Shahi kings. The fort finally fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to Mughal emperor Aurangazeb.
It was the Qutb Shahi kings who were responsible for most of what can be seen today. Following the collapse of the Bahmani Sultanate, Golonda became the seat of the Qutb Shahi in the early 1500s. Over the next 60 years, the mud fort on the site was expanded upon with massive granite walls measuring 5km in circumference. The fort remained the seat of power until the capital was moved to present day Hyderabad in 1590. The site continued to serve as a major Shia centre through the 17th century with clerics such as Sheikh Ja`far bin Kamal al-Din and Sheikh Salih Al-Karzakani from Bahrain both spending time there.
The Qutb Shahi sultanate was conquered by Aurangazeb in 1687, with Golconda Fort holding out for another nine months before falling to the Mughals. The fort is actually made up of four separate forts, with 87 cicrcular bastions, 80 gateways, 4 drawbridges and numerous royal apartments, mosques and stables. It features a perfect acoustical system by which a hand clap sounded at the fort’s main gates, the grand portico, was heard at the top of the citadel, situated on a 300-foot (91 m)-high granite hill. This served as an alarm, giving the rulers time to escape if the fort was attacked.
One kilometer north of the outer wall lies the tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans. Altogether there were seven sultans, with Sultan Quli Qutb-ul- Mulk being the founder in 1518. The Qutb Shahi sultans were known as patrons of learning and great builders. They didn’t restrict their patronage to the dominant Persian culture, also incorporating the regional Deccan culture with its mother tongue of Telugu, a Dravidian language of south India that is heavily influenced by Sanskrit, and idiomatic Urdu, which is the main language of modern Pakistan.
The tombs are located amidst highly landscaped gardens known as Ibrahim bagh and are constructed with beautifully carved stonework.Architecturally, they are a mixture of Persian, Pathan and Hindu designs, and built from gray granite embellished with stucco decoration. Today, they are open to the public and receive a constant stream of visitors.
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