Dar-ul-Shifa
house of health | |
---|---|
neighbourhood | |
Coordinates: 17°22′13″N 78°28′54″E / 17.3702657°N 78.481669°E | |
Country | India |
State | Telangana |
District | Hyderabad |
Metro | Hyderabad |
Established | 1591 |
Founded by | Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah |
Named for | The hospital built here in 1591 |
Government | |
• Body | GHMC |
Languages | |
• Official | Telugu, Urdu |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 500024 |
Lok Sabha constituency | Hyderabad |
Vidhan Sabha constituency | Charminar |
Planning agency | GHMC |
Dar-ul-Shifa is a neighbourhood in the Old City of Hyderabad, India,[1] named after the 16th-century hospital it once housed. The location was founded in AD 1591, more than 400 years ago, by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad city. Today it houses a large population of Shia Muslims and comes alive on the days of Muharram and Shia festivals. Most of the households have family members settled abroad, whose remittances increase the quality of life.
In Arabic, and derived from it in Urdu, Turkish and Persian, dar al-shifa means "house of health", i.e. "hospital". The name of the location is derived from the fact that initially the area was popularly known for its hospital. Dar-ul-Shifa Hospital and Jama Masjid were built in the same period as the Charminar monument-cum-mosque and the huge Makkah Masjid (Mecca Mosque).
Geographically, Dar-ul-Shifa lies in the south of Hyderabad city, on the banks of River Musi. It lies under the Charminar Assembly Constituency. Historically it is one of the old urban areas of Hyderabad; now it is part of the Old City of Hyderabad.