Golkonda fort
Golconda Fort is located in the western part of Hyderabad city and is about 9 km from the Hussain Sagar Lake. The outer fort occupies an area of three square kilometers, which is 4.8 kilometers in length. It was originally known as Mankal, and built on a hilltop in the year 1143. It was originally a mud fort under the reign of Rajah of Warangal. Later it was fortified between 14th and 17th centuries by the Bahmani Sultans and then the ruling Qutub Shahi dynasty. Golconda was the principal capital of the Qutub Shahi kings. The inner fort contains ruins of palaces, mosques and a hill top pavilion, which rises about 130 meters high and gives a bird’s eye view of other buildings. Golconda fort is undoubtedly one of most magnificent fortress complexes in India. The history of Golconda Fort goes back to early 13th century, when it was ruled by the Kakatiya’s followed by Qutub Shahi kings, who ruled the region in 16th and 17th century. The fortress rests on a granite hill 120 meters high while huge crenellated ramparts surround this structure.
Tourist Attractions
Salar Jung Museum
Situated on the southern banks of Musi River, the Salarjung Museum has a unique distinction as the third largest museum in India and has a worldwide fame for its biggest one-man collections of antiques. It is widely known in India for its prized collections dating back to different civilizations. Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Salar Jung III, the former Prime Minister of the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, spent most of his income over a period of thirty-five years to gather such priceless collections, which according to historians was his intense passion. The collections that was left behind in his ancestral Diwan Deodi palace were exhibited earlier as a private museum that was inaugurated by the then PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951. Later in the year 1968, the museum was shifted to its current location at Afzalgunj. The renowned museum is now administered by a Board of Trustees which also includes Governor of Telangana as an ex-officio chairperson as per the Salar Jung Museum Act of 1961.
