QUTAB SHAHI TOMBS

A royal cemetery in the Indo-Persian style, the grandeur of the mausoleums reflects the power of the lords of yesteryear, the Qutab Shahi dynasty that ruled the Golconda Sultanate from 1518 to 1687. Each of the mausoleums is placed on a square platform and topped by a majestic dome. All the sultans of the dynasty are buried here, except for the last one, Abdul Hasan, who died as a prisoner of Aurangzeb at the Daulatabad fort. However, his mausoleum exists because, as tradition dictates, it was built during his lifetime.

Mausoleum of Quli Qutb Mulk. Built on a vast square platform of 30 meters on each side. A large cube topped by a bulbous dome, the octagonal interior has ridges of 10 meters each. The Sultan's tomb is marked by a black basalt cenotaph and his grave is just below, invisible. Only his cenotaph has an inscription and no one knows who the two people buried next to him are, nor the twenty-one who are buried on the platform. But as tradition dictates, they are relatives. Quli Qutb Mulk was buried here in 1543 after his son Jamsheed killed him.

Mausoleum of Jamsheed Quli Qutb. This mausoleum differs from the others in that it is built on two floors. It dates from 1550. Between this mausoleum and that of his father, a smaller one, is that of Jamsheed's son who ruled only briefly. There is no inscription on any of the tombs.

Mausoleum of Ibrahim Quli Qutb. Slightly larger than that of Sultan Mulk, some colored tiles can still be seen on the south wall. The tomb was erected in 1580, after the death of the sultan. He is buried here with one other person in the main chamber and sixteen others on the terrace.

Mausoleum of Muhammad Quli Qutb. This mausoleum is the most impressive of all with its terrace of more than 4,000 square meters raised 4 meters above the ground. It was built in 1602. The tomb is placed in a vault under the terrace.

Mausoleum of Muhammed Qutb Shah. Built in 1626, it houses the remains of the sixth sultan of Golconda. He is buried here with six other people. The facade of the mausoleum was originally entirely tiled with colored and glazed tiles, some fragments of which can still be seen.

Mausoleum of Abdullah Qutb. The last of the sultans to be buried here. He joined his mausoleum in 1672.

Other mausoleums. The mausoleum of Abdul Asan houses the remains of the grandson of Abdullah Qutb and his wife, the sister of the Shah of Persia. Next to it, a mausoleum, without a dome, is that of Abdullah's daughter. The park also contains mausoleums of daughters or granddaughters of sultans, rare relatives of the royal family and a commander-in-chief of Abdullah's army. There is also the dargah of the Sufi saint Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali.

And also. The royal cemetery includes a mortuary bath that was used for washing and preparing the bodies before the funeral. Built by Muhammad Quli, it is located right in front of his mausoleum. It is a beautiful example of Turkish baths.

The site also includes many mosques, since almost every mausoleum has its own adjoining. The most beautiful is undoubtedly the one next to the small mausoleum of Hayat Bakshi Begum. She was the sister of the^5th sultan, the wife of the 6th and the mother of the 7th. The mosque was erected in 1666. 15 domes surmount the prayer hall and it is framed by two slender minarets.