History of Hyderabad

This article is about the history of the fourth largest city in India. For history of the Pakistani city with the same name, see History of Hyderabad, Sindh.

Hyderabad is the capital of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a historic city noted for its many monuments, temples, mosques and bazaars. A multitude of influences have shaped the character of the city in the last 400 years.[1]

The city of Hyderabad was founded by the Qutb Shahi sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591. It was built around the Charminar, which formed the centrepiece of the city. Hyderabad became an important trading centre for diamonds and pearls, and a centre for culture.[2]

After a brief period of Mughal rule, in 1724, Asaf Jah I defeated Mubariz Khan to establish autonomy over the Deccan Suba, named the region Hyderabad Deccan, and started what came to be known as the Asaf Jahi dynasty. Subsequent rulers retained the title Nizam ul-Mulk and were referred to as Asaf Jahi Nizams, or Nizams of Hyderabad.[3][4] Nizam I never formally declared independence from the Mughals; he still flew the Mughal flag, and was never crowned. In Friday prayers, the sermon would be conducted in the name of Aurangzeb, and this tradition continued until the end of Hyderabad State in 1948. The Nizams later signed a subsidiary alliance with the British, and their territory became Hyderabad State, the largest princely state in British India with the city of Hyderabad as its capital.

After India's independence in 1947, the Nizam did not wish to accede his state to the newly formed nation. By then, his power had weakened due to the Telangana rebellion. Hyderabad State was annexed to the Indian Union in 1948. In 1956, the Hyderabad State was divided on the basis of linguistic differences, and the city of Hyderabad became the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

  1. ^ Ahmed, Akbar S. (1 November 2002). Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society. Routledge. ISBN 9781134495429.
  2. ^ "History & Culture | Hyderabad District, Government of Telangana | India". Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  3. ^ Richards, J. F. (1975). "The Hyderabad Karnatik, 1687–1707". Modern Asian Studies. 9 (2): 241–260. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00004996. S2CID 142989123.
  4. ^ Ikram, S. M. (1964). "A century of political decline: 1707–1803". In Embree, Ainslie T (ed.). Muslim civilization in India. Columbia University. ISBN 978-0-231-02580-5. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.