Charminar

Charminar, at Char Kaman in the Old City of Hyderabad, Telangana, India, was completed in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. It was built soon after he moved the capital from Golconda to a new planned city on the Musi River, and tradition holds that it was raised to commemorate the end of a plague epidemic. The monument marks the founding-era centre of Hyderabad, and the city's principal roads originally radiated from its four arches. The structure is a square granite and lime-mortar building with four grand arches facing the cardinal directions, each about 20 metres high. At each corner rises a slender minaret, giving the monument its name, meaning four minarets. The facades are decorated in stucco with floral and geometric motifs typical of Indo-Islamic and Persian influence, and balconies run around the upper floors. A small mosque occupies the top level, reached by a narrow spiral stair inside one of the minarets, though access to the upper floors has been restricted at times for safety. Historically the building stood at the heart of a busy market district, and the surrounding lanes still trade in pearls, bangles, attar and textiles, notably at Laad Bazaar. Preservation has been a continuing concern. A minaret was damaged by lightning in the 1830s and later repaired, and the Archaeological Survey of India has carried out repeated stucco repairs, cleaning and structural work, along with lighting and pedestrian improvements around the plaza. Air pollution and traffic have stained the limestone, making conservation an ongoing task. The visit is self-guided, with a modest ticketed interior and open forecourt, and there is no formal museum, so the experience is architectural rather than curatorial. Evening illumination makes the monument popular after dusk, and the nearby Mecca Masjid and Laad Bazaar are usually visited in the same outing.