The Charminar’s long history includes the existence of a mosque on its top floor for more than 400 years. While both historically and religiously significant, it is also known for its popular and busy local markets surrounding the structure, and has become one of the most frequented tourist attractions in Hyderabad, India.
Charminar Through the Arch
The Charminar, constructed in 1591, is a monument and mosque located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The landmark has become known globally as a symbol of Hyderabad and is listed among the most recognized structures in India.
It is a grand architectural composition in Indo-Saracenic style with open arches and four minarets, is regarded as the supreme achievement of the Quṭb Shāhī period.
Charminar in Hyderabad
Hyderabad is Telangana’s largest and most-populous city and is the major urban center for all of south-central interior India.
Hyderabad was founded by the Quṭb Shāhī sultans of Golconda, under whom the kingdom of Golconda attained a position of importance second only to that of the Mughal Empire to the north. The old fortress town of Golconda had proved inadequate as the kingdom’s capital, and so about 1591 Muḥammad Qulī Quṭb Shah, the fifth of the Quṭb Shahs, built a new city called Hyderabad on the east bank of the Musi River, a short distance from old Golconda.
Hyderabad has become a hub of trade and commerce and an international center for information technology (IT). Pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, and textiles are among the items manufactured there. Many historical sites still remain midst the splendor of modern buildings.
Walking on the Street of Hyderabad
A boy sells fresh farm vegetables on a cart in rural India
People at Work in India – Selling Vegetables on a Cart
A woman separates usable whole bricks in rural India
People at Work in India – Sorting Bricks
Kites are in huge demand at the annual kite festival in India on January 14. People making and selling kites are in huge demand at that time.
People at Work in India – Making Kites
People at Work in India – Selling Kites at Night
Tea is the most popular drink in India. A street vendor makes fresh tea on a cart for his roadside customers.
People at Work in India – Making Tea
A wood craftsman works with traditional tools in a small shop in a rural Indian village
People at Work in India – Wood Craftsman
Most people in India are day laborers or self-employed in trades to make their daily living. Here are some workers building a small wall in Vadodara.
People at Work in India – Building a Wall
A rose-ringed parakeet is perched on an ancient pillar of Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India
Perched on an Ancient Pillar
It almost appears that this kitten is guarding a tomb at Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India
Guarding a Tomb
On the south side of the Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India is a square domed tomb, built of marble, where ‘Umar bin Ahmad Gazruni (d.1333) is buried. Various verses of a religious Islamic text are engraved on the four sides of the tomb.
A Tomb – Centuries Old
This image shows the delicately carved end panel of the grave.
Tomb End Panel
In the southern part of the Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India there is a colonnaded hall in a square shape but with a circular inner court where the tomb of Umar bin Ahmad al-Kazaruni, who died in 1333, is located. In addition, there are many smaller tombs of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Tombs at Jami Mosque
A young boy hurriedly walks past the ancient pillars of Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India
Walking Past the Pillars
Carved dome on pillars reflects the majestic architecture of Jami Mosque built in 1325 in Khambhat, India
Majestic Architecture
Another example of artistically designed windows at Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India
Letting in Light
The domes of Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India have latticed windows made in the typical architectural style of Gujarat. Not only do the windows let in light, but they also provide an artistic feature of architecture.
Artistic Windows
Windows with Designs
A carved arch at Jami Mosque in Khambhat, India seems to be supported by curved pillars
Curved Pillars
The domes in Jami Mosque, Khambhat, India are beautifully carved. Though faded and eroded by time, their beauty is still evident.
Dome Carvings
Jami Mosque is a mosque in Khambhat, Gujarat, India, built in 1325. It is one of the oldest Islamic monuments in Gujarat. The mosque’s interior has colonnaded open courtyard built with 100 columns. The mosque’s architecture marks the evolution of the Indo-Islamic architecture and it’s features do not display any minarets.
Jami Mosque Khambhat