Golconda Fort

Golconda Fort is a fortified citadel and ruined city on the western outskirts of Hyderabad in Telangana, India. It sits on a granite hill and was the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Sultanate of Golconda from the early 16th century.

From mud fort to Qutb Shahi capital

The fort began in the 11th century as a small mud fort of the Kakatiya dynasty. The name is thought to come from the Telugu Gollakonda, meaning shepherd's hill. It later passed to the Bahmani Sultanate, and Quli Qutb Shah, sent as governor, made it his seat around 1501 and declared independence in 1518. Over 62 years the first three Qutb Shahi sultans turned the mud fort into a massive granite fortification about 5 kilometres around, and an outer wall, given as 7 to 10 kilometres long in different sources, enclosed the city. The capital moved to the new city of Hyderabad in 1590, and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb took Golconda after an eight-month siege in 1687.

Kollur diamonds and exported printed cloth

Golconda grew rich from the diamond mines nearby, especially the Kollur Mine, and was a trading centre for large diamonds known as Golconda diamonds. The town was also known for cotton weaving and printed cloth exported to Persia and Europe.

Fateh Darwaza, Bala Hisar and the hand clap echo

The citadel rises in tiers from the Fateh Darwaza gate to the Bala Hisar pavilion at the summit. It is known for its acoustics: a hand clap under the dome near the entrance can be heard at the top of the hill. Inside are palaces, mosques, water channels, storerooms and the Taramati mosque. About a kilometre to the north are the Qutb Shahi Tombs. In 2014 the fort was placed on UNESCO's tentative list with other Deccan Sultanate monuments.