Katriya de Royal Hotel

North meets South

by SANJOO

Hyderabad is the 5th largest Indian city with an ancient civilisation and culture. Hyderabad and Secunderbad are twin cities, separated by Hussain sagar lake. Hyderabad, with its confluence of cultures and traditions, is often described as a link between the north and the south, and a meeting place of the east and the west. The city is nearly 400 years old and is noted for its natural beauty, mosques and minarets, bazaars and bridges, hills and lakes. The name itself brings up visions of a vibrant city of minarets and modern high - rise buildings. A natural and sophisticated blend of old and new, an old 'Nawabi' culture with a new pro-active approach and hospitality. The teeming bazaars of the old city, in the midst of which stands the 400-year-old Charminar, the modern shopping complexes and ultra-modern malls in the newer areas of the city add to the charm of Hyderabad.

The Golconda Fort, capital of the kingdom by that name, is today very much part of the city, as is Cyberabad (means Cyber City), a new local area created to keep pace with the zooming Information Technology & Tourism sector.

Pearls, bangles, silks, computer software, handicrafts and above all a delectable cuisine add to the splendour of this great city.

Paradise Restaurant

by mitsi900 about Paradise Restaurant

EXCELLENT FOOD!
They accept on cash the biryani - chicken & mutton, ofcourse! this place is the best for this kind of food - you should see the crowd there!
We went in at 1530 hrs. and people were haveing Biryani for tea!

Hyd Biggest Mosque

by srhussaini

Mecca Masjid


This is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad . The name is derived from the Grand Mosque at Mecca on which it is patterned.

Speciality :::
The hall measures 67m by 54m and is 23m in height. Fifteen arches, five on each of the three sides, support the roof.

The mosque is one of the largest in India and can accommodate ten thousand people at a time.

Hyderabad

by navendu_shirali

"City of good food and people"

One side of city is lost in race to Information Technology rest of the city still remains in the pride of the Old Hyderabad, a true indian setting, small lanes, buzzling with colors, hawkers, smell of kababs and "ithar" ...and ofcourse chai at charminar and rustic palaces of the great kings who are now lost in their legacy of time

"Chow MAHALLA PALACE"

Once the seat of Asaf Jahi dynasty where only royal visitors were permitted is now open for tourists. it has 2 amazing courtyards, fountains, and gardens. awed darbar with chandeliers from the roof top..Indian visitor- pay 50 rs, foreigner-150rs. and special evening show on weekends at 6.30 pm.
Where is it- from Charminar, ask anyone for moti gali and then ask for the palace.
or other name is KHILWAT ..

"GOLCONDA FORT"

I usually never took a guide in my life but for this fort, i met a guide very senior in age-Mr. Shekh Gauz-23514951 Tel. Got intially a deal for 150Rs. but we were so pleased with his information and guidance of the fort that we ended offering him 300 Rs. plus...and still felt empty in gratitude towards him.
the claps at the main gate can be heard on the durgah mimic right on top of the mountaneous fort..its an almost 40 mins walk. imagine the architecture.
the amount of story each structure has is amazing. there are special zone for boiling oil while warfare, special zone for handling injured and dead, there is a hidden bedroom from where u can hear all conversations, special sections to store water and from where curtains blow out cool air, there are many zones for infantry where for their selection there is 240 kgs IRON, one whose lifting soliders can join the royal army.
Amazing part of the fort is water system, close look at water pipes running in the walls can give u n picture of the briallance of planning. water flows from top of the mountain in pipes all across the fort.

do make a trip to the Elephant tree near the perimeters of the outer fort. around 3 kms from the fort. where in base of the tree around 40 soldiers can sleep inside the bark. its amazing.

now there some sections of the palace where u can whisper in one corner and hear the same whisper at diagonally opposite point far away. and no one else can hear that whsiper anywhere.

kings room has amazing security features, as its based on first floor, no one can see the king directly but the king can, and its to difficult to get a shot from where ever.