Why is Hyderabad known as the city of Pearls? - HolidayKeys.co.uk

This was first built by the Kaktiya dynasty. The city and fortress are built on a granite hill over the height
of 120 meters and it is surrounded by the massive battlements. Later on, it was strengthened several
times by the different rulers, and it was finally falling into ruins after a siege to the Mughal Empire under
Aurangzeb. Before move to Hyderabad, this was the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
It actually consists of four distinct forts with a 10 km long outer wall with 87 semicircular bastions (some
still mounted with cannons), eight gateways, and four drawbridges, with a number of royal apartments
and halls, temples, mosques, magazines, stables, etc. inside. The lowest of these is the outermost
enclosure into which we enter by the Fateh Darwaza (Victory gate, so called after Auragzes
triumphant army marched in through this gate) studded with giant iron spikes (to prevent elephants
from battering them down) near the south-eastern corner. At Fateh Darwaza can be experienced a
fantastic acoustic effect, characteristic of the engineering marvels at Golkonda. A hand clap at a certain
point below the dome at the entrance reverberates and can be heard clearly at the Bala Hisar pavilion,
the highest point almost a kilometer away. This worked as a warning note to the royals in case of an
attack.
Qutb Shahi tos is situated in Ibrahim Bagh and one kilometer apart from Golkonda Fort. The
galleries of smaller tombs are of a single storey tomb while the larger ones are two storied. The tombs
are domed structure built on a square base surrounded by pointed arches. A distinctive style, which
blends Persian, Pashtun and Hindu forms. The tombs are structures with intricately carved stonework
and are surrounded by landscaped gardens.