Buildings around the world: Charminar, Hyderabad
The Charminar (pronounced chaar-mi-NAAR) is a monument and mosque in the Indian city of Hyderabad. The landmark is known internationally as the symbol of Hyderabad. It is religiously significant but is also known for the markets and vendors around it. The Charminar is located on the eastern banks of the Musi River. Charminar comes from the Hindi-Urdu words char, meaning “four” and minar, meaning “minaret”, since it has, yup, you guessed it, four minarets.
The Charminar was built by the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 after shifting the capital of his sultanate from Golconda to the new city of Hyderabad. The Charminar was built in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture, much like the Taj Mahal and the Qutb Minar.
Each side of the Charminar is approximately 20 meters (66 feet) in length, having an archway that faces the street in front of it. There is a minaret at each corner, each about 56 meters (184 feet) tall. Each minar (minaret) has 149 stairs that lead up to the top floor, which has a mosque. The building is made of granite, marble, and limestone. In 1889, each arch got its own clock. The monument was planned so that if one stood at the arches, they could see the entirety of Hyderabad up until the corners since the Charminar was built in the centre of the city. Now the Charminar is at the centre of the Old City of Hyderabad, along with many other beautiful monuments.
Fun fact: the word char in the name really lives up to its meaning – there are many places where the magic number four shows itself. Some examples include the four minarets, the four arches, and the four clocks. Another thing: legend has it that there is a secret tunnel leading from the Charminar to Golconda, just in case of a siege. This mystery tunnel is yet to be found.
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