Prandomly sitting on a bamboo scaffold One afternoon in the scorching heat of Hyderabad, a mason tirelessly ripped apart 20th century cement layers. Suddenly, something gleamed from the dust. The intricate blue and green glaze tile patterns on the façade and dome of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah’s tomb, hidden over the centuries, were seen through. The dilapidated tiles are now a glimpse into the world of the 16th century when the tomb was built.
It took 10 years for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to restore this piece of Hyderabad’s history. But there it was all along – a cemetery, hidden in plain sight. And in it was the founder of Hyderabad.
The powerful and wealthy Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled the Golconda Sultanate for 171 years before Aurangzeb conquered the Deccan in 1687. Its fifth ruler, Quli Qutb Shah, son of a Muslim father and Hindu mother, founded Hyderabad and built the Charminar.
If Golconda Fort, less than 10 minutes away, is a famous tourist destination, the Qutb Shahi Tomb Complex is a less frequented, friendly neighborhood hangout. Till then the Aga Khan Trust stepped in. The trust that turned Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb Complex and Sundar Nursery into jewels in the capital’s crown is restoring the Hyderabad heritage structure into an archaeological park.
“The Qutb Shahi Cemetery is unique with a comparable site anywhere in the world, with over 100 structures – mausoleums, funerary mosques, stepwells, garden structures and archaeological remains – representing every decade of Qutb Shahi rule,” said Ratish Nanda, conservation architect and CEO of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) India told ThePrint.
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How to Restore a Necropolis
Like most Hyderabadis, veteran actor Mohammad Baig has fond memories of growing up in the city, which often included picnics at the Qutb Shahi tombs, noting its “uniqueness and breath-taking architecture”.
“I don’t think there is any other example of a place like Qutb Shahi where six rulers of the same dynasty were buried at the same place,” he said.
The Qutb Shahi tomb has 80 monuments – including 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, seven stair walls.stepwell), One accomplicePavilions, tanks, wells, garden structures, and enclosure walls.
So, how do you restore such a place?
According to Nanda of the Aga Khan, there is “no blueprint” for the redevelopment and restoration of a monument, but the process is rigorous.
“Each process involves architectural documentation, archival research, writing a conservation plan, peer reviews, a high level of supervision by an interdisciplinary team, and of course, master craftsmen,” he said. But when magic happens, its effect is obvious. Tourist crowd at Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb Complex and Sunder Nursery has increased manifold after the trust’s restoration project – it now gets 20 lakhs visitors annual.
In January 2013, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Department of Archeology and Museums (now Heritage Telangana), the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority, the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture for the conservation and landscape development of the mausoleum complex. . Funding has come from AKT, Tata Trusts, US Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation, Indigo CSR and the German Embassy. No funds have been sought from the government.
As it is being revamped, the Government of India has designated the Qutb Shahi Tomb as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “It is a long, tedious process and several factors such as tourism potential are the criteria for designating a monument as a World Heritage Site. if so, it can be declared.
Landscape master plan for Qutb Shahi Tomb by architect M. Shaheer, who envisioned the 106-acre campus in three zones – an archaeological zone, a visitor facility area and an ecological zone. Explaining the elaborate design patterns associated with dragons and birds, Nanda said, “We have not buried the archaeological remains, but tried to preserve the sanctity in the best possible way.”
But when you restore a landscape, you don’t just see monuments. A comprehensive tree survey was conducted which mapped 3,300 existing trees covering 72 species. More than 2,000 trees have been planted along the edge of the site to create a natural buffer.
While the Qutb Shahi tombs are state-protected monuments, the Golconda Fort, in the same vicinity, is designated a monument of national importance. But according to Hyderabad historian Sajjad Shahid, this is not an anomaly.
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Hyderabad at a glance
Given its record and success, many governments may vie for the services of the Aga Khan Trust.
“Wherever the government invites us, we work there,” Nanda said about the AKTC’s way of choosing the monuments. And for now, his “hands are full” with Hyderabad and Delhi. The foundation is also working on the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative.
Over 2,500 measured drawings, status reports, topographical surveys of 106 acres and more went into the Hyderabad restoration plan. And you can’t rebuild history without archives. An ongoing effort in archival research has already resulted in the collection of more than 500 images – some dating back to the 1860s. While a large part of the restoration, which began in 2013, has been completed, the pandemic and several lawsuits have led to an increase in the time limit from 10 years to now 14 years.
Will all these efforts inspire the residents of the city to revisit the Qutb Shahi tombs?
“Just as India is symbolically known by the Taj Mahal, the Charminar is the cultural identity of Hyderabad,” Baig said, addressing the “loose” attitude of Hyderabadis. There is a saying in Hindi,Homemade Chicken Dal Equals (familiarity breeds contempt).”
Nanda says that while the tourist appetite is developing, the “real impact” of the restoration will be seen in “the next 4-5 years”. For now, the Qutb Shahi tombs are slowly gaining momentum in the competition for popularity. And the kings, queens, princesses, hakims and generals are sleeping below.
(Edited by Neera Mazumdar)