Hyderabad

Facts at a Glance :
» Area -	260 sq-km
» Population -	5.2 million (approx)
» Language -	Urdu, Telgu, Hindi, English
» Prime Attractions -	Char Minar, Golkunda Fort, Salar Jung Museum, Mecca Mosque, High Court Building

An Overview of Hyderabad :
Hyderabad, the capital of the state Andhra Pradesh is one of the oldest city having an age old civilization & culture. The city was founded by the ruler of Qutb Shahi Dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutab Shah in the year 1591 on the southern bank of the river Moosi. Hyderabad is popular for its natural beauty and historic monuments including mosques and minarets, colourful bazaars and friendly Hyderabadi people. Today, it is major information technology development centre and Microsoft has one of its overseas offices here. Hyderabad, together with its twin city of Secunderabad, has today grown to be India's fifth largest city.


Climate of Hyderabad :
Hyderabad is hot during summer and cold during winters. Its average summer temperature varies between 40 and 30 degrees C while the winter temperatures range from 22 to 14 degree C. The city receives an average rainfall of about 89 cms.


Tourist Attractions of Hyderabad :
» Charminar - This four columned monument 'Charminar' was built by Muhammad Quli in the year 1591. Today it is the best known landmark of Hyderabad. All the four 56 m high minarets are separated by wide arches and plastered by mortar and lime. There is an oldest mosque situated at the second floor of the minar and considered as the oldest of the city. The minar is open daily to visitors.

» Golconda Fort - Founded in the 13th century, it is one of the most remarkable fort complexes in India. It was later built by the rulers of Qutub Sahi Dynasty, who made it their capital in the year 1525. The massive fort complex houses the ruins of palaces, assembly halls, arsenal, barracks, royal gardens and the Durbar Hall which are the prime features of the fort complex. The beautiful Durbar Hall provides a commanding view of the twin cites Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

» Mecca Masjid - It is another important tourist spot in the city. Its construction was started by the Abdula Qutb Shah in 1614 but later completed under the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. It is known as Mecca Masjid because some of the bricks are made of soil from Mecca- the holiest pilgrimage place for Muslims.

» The Salar Jung Museum - The famous Salar Jung Museum houses around 35,000 antique and art objects from different parts of the world collected mostly by Salar Jung III, a former prime ministers of Nizams of Hydearabad. It has a rich collection of oil paintings, carpets, marble sculptures, old clocks, miniature paintings, ivory products and various objects related to different religions.

» Quli Qutub Sahi Tombs - All seven kings of Quli Qutub Sahi dynasty are buried in marvelously built tombs which also attract tourists for their architectural beauty.


Getting to Hyderabad :
» By Air - The Hyderabad Airport is situated at a distance of 8km from the city centre and has air flights to major international destinations especially the Middle East countries. It is also well connected to various parts of India by regular domestic flights.

» By Rail - Hyderabad has three main junctions: Kacheguda, Hyderabad(Nampaly) and Secundarabad, all receive high traffic for all parts of the country. All the three railway stations have express train services to all the major Indian destinations like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bangalore and Thiruananthapuram.

» By Road - The state roadways and privately owned bus services links the city with all the important towns and cities within the state and to the neighbours around. There are services to even Mumbai, Kolkata and Nagpur.