Mosque Charminar, Hyderabad

Charminar was constructed iby Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah in 1591,to thank the God for the end of the plague epidemic.The famous monument has four huge minarets,each measuring 48.7 metres,decorated with carved lotus buds and petals beautifully designed in lime masonry,inside the minarets are spiral stairway of 149 steps from whose top one gets a panoramic view of city.Charminar is surrounded by glittering bazaars of famous hyderabadi bangles,pearls and traditional wears.
Timings -- 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

This is a well known landmark.Entrance fee is 5 rupees, free for children. Those who are fit can climb the narrow stairs and have a nice view of the city. For those who are not, the road around charminar is a bee hive of activity.Bangle sellers , fruit stalls clothes crockery imitation pearls and chaotic traffic.

A monument built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1951 to commemorate the eradication of plague from Hyderabad.Charminar is a mosque named so because of it's four minarets.While laying the foundation he is believed to have said ' Let millions of men of all castes ,creeds and religions make this city their abode.Like fishes in the water .'

The Charminar is as much the signature of Hyderabad as the Taj Mahal is of Agra or the Eiffel Tower is of Paris.
It is a magnificent square edifice of granite, built upon four grand arches facing North, South, East and West. These arches support two floors of rooms and gallery of archways. At each corner of the square structure is a minaret rising to a height of 24 meters, making the building nearly 54 meters tall. It is these four (char) minarets (minar) that give the building, its name Charminar. Each minar stands on a lotus-leaf base, a special recurrent motif in Qutub Shahi buildings.

The first floor was used as a madarasa (college) during the Qutub Shahi period. The second floor has a mosque on the western side, the dome of which is visible from the road, if one stands some distance away. A spectacular view of the city may be had from the roof of the Charminar, although, due to severe overcrowding of the minarets, only visitors with special permission from the Archaeological Survey of India, Hyderabad Circle are allowed to go to the top of the minarets. The clocks above each of the four archways were added in 1889.

Walking around the Charminar area, one is constantly surprised by vestiges of the past intermingling with the present. Towards the Southeast of the Charminar is located imposing edifice of the Nizamia Unani Hospital. About 50m to the West, the line of shops in Lad Bazaar is interupted by an old, crumbling brown wall, which marks the entrance to the old Nizama?s Jilau Khana (parade ground). The grounds are now being used for the development of a large commercial complex. Further down, a road to the left leads to the Khilawat Complex (Chowmahalla Palace). The Lad Bazaar road terminates in a square called Mahaboob Chowk where a large 19th century clock-tower looms over a delicate white mosque of the same period.

Timings
people are allowed (only in the cellar of the monument) all the day and during night times till 10'o clock.

4 more images

The Charminar is a prominent landmark for Hyderabad and was built by the Quli Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the eradication of a plague. The monument of Charminar is surrounded by busy market place and is very close by the Mecca Masjid.

4 more images

You can have few places to see and feel the history of hyderabad. I would list them in order of preference to visit them.

1) Charminar -- four towers building. this is more than 400 years old. This is a symbol of love , on line with taj mahal. It is surrounded by good shops for hand work, pearls, bangles, perfumes etc.

Next to charminar is mecca masjid, it is also a very old mosque. ladies need to check if they are allowed. Avoid going on fridays

2) Golconda fort -- A very old construction which stood many wars. You can see how science was used in those days. It has one of the best water system, sound messaging system ( u can talk to some one 1 km away), air cooling systems. Take a Guide to explain you everything, as we will not understand the importance of many things

3) Faluknama Palace : Latest of all the constructions, built by the nizams. It has some of the best works. You can spend some time seeing how luxurious life the nizams had. It has a dining table that can seat 220 people.

4) Qutubshahi Tombs : These are the tombs where the qutubshahi dynasty are laid to rest. Attched images of all the places. There are few other places, but they are not well maintained and have been to ruins.

Reminiscent of the glorious times gone by is the Charminar, a monument built in 1591 and still symbolic of the city. Next to the Charminar is one of the largest mosques in the world, the Mecca Masjid. This almost four centuries old mosque can accommodate up to 11,000 worshippers. The Golconda Fort, though now in ruins, was once a strong and massive fortress built at the site of the famous diamond mines of Golconda.Its amazing acoustic system allows the sound of a handclap to be heard right at its top. Ingenious indeed was its system of water supply andmethods to cool the palace and the roof gardens. The Salar Jung museum contains exhibits drawn from far and near. These are some of the things that u will find in most of guide books about hyderabad. There are so many new places n tourist attractions that have come up over the years, all complementing the history of this great city.

These are the places must to be seen in Hyderabad :-Charminar / Golkonda Fort / Salarjung Museum
Ramoji Film City / Tank Bund / Lumbini Park
NTR Ghat / Indira Park / Sanjeevaiah Park
Hitech City / Shilparamam / Gandipet / Tombs
Mecca Masjid / Birla Mandir /Birla Planetorium & etc.
CHARMINAR :-
The Charminar is as much the signature of Hyderabad as the Taj Mahal is of Agra or the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Often called 'The Arc de triumph of the East', Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, built Charminar in 1591 at the centre of the original city layout. Legends has it that it was built as charm to ward off a deadly epidemic raging at that time. Four graceful minarets soar to a height of 48.7 m above the ground. Charminar has 45 prayer spaces and a mosque in it. The Charminar is a square edifice with four grand arches each facing a cardinal point that opened once upon a time into four royal streets. At each corner stands an exquisitely shaped minaret, more than 55 mt. in height with a double balcony. A bulbous dome crowns each minaret with dainty petal like designs at the base. A beautiful mosque is located at the western end of the open roof and the remaining part of the roof served as a court during the Qutub Shahi times.

Built with granite and lime-mortar, the Charminar is a fine example of the Cazia style of architecture. The intertwined arches and domes are typical of the Islamic architecture. The graceful floral motif atop the Charminar is enchanting.The Charminar depicts the Indo-Saracenic tradition - a symbiosis of the Hindu and the Muslim traditions, which has woven the magic of a rich Deccani culture. The nightly illumination of Charminar is spectacular.