The fort is the reason there's the city of Hyderabad today, even though it's many miles from the city center. For years, the three-walled bastion on a rocky outcropping was one of the wealthiest strongholds in all of India. From the 13th century Hindu Kakatiya emporers through 16th century Muslim Qutb Shahi dynasty. All the great diamonds of the world passed through the walls. Gold. Pearls. Spices. Some of the richest men in the world sat on thrones here. My first impression was how similar it felt compared to contemporary castles in Europe like Hungary's Eger Castle.
By the 1600s, though, the water situation was getting dreary, so after a big famine the kind moved a few miles to the east, on the banks of the River Musi and built from scratch the Hyderabad we know and love.
The remains, though, are a jumbled blend of fortifications, temples, mosques, markets and lawns.
India: a whole lotta new and old, side by side. The newest residential developments from the top of the fort:
Raghu's favorite top-secret destination within in the largest fort wall? The biggest tree i've ever seen...and climbed into.
And the tombs of the Qutb rulers? Amazing monuments to a different day and age, even as they slowly crumble.
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