Charminar

A monument of four arches and four minarets at the heart of Hyderabad's old city.

It stands on the east bank of the Musi River, surrounded by busy local markets. To the west lies the Laad Bazaar, and to the southwest the richly ornamented Makkah Masjid, the city's main mosque. Eid festivals are celebrated here, and a mosque has stood on the top floor for more than 435 years.

Why it was built

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, built the Charminar after moving his capital from Golconda to the new city of Hyderabad. The Archaeological Survey of India says it is widely accepted that it was built in the city centre to mark the end of a deadly plague. A 17th-century French traveller, Jean de Thevenot, wrote that it marked the start of the second Islamic millennium, the year 1000 in the Islamic calendar. Work began in 1589 and took two years.

What it looks like

The main block is square, with each side 20 metres long and an arch facing each of the four directions. A minaret 56 metres high with a double balcony stands at each corner, topped with a bulbous dome. Unlike the minarets of the Taj Mahal, the four fluted minarets are built into the main structure. It is built of granite, limestone, mortar and pulverised marble, and is said to weigh about 14,000 tonnes. Climbing to the upper floor takes 149 winding steps.

The heart of the old city

Charminar stands where trade routes met, including the route to the port of Machilipatnam, and the Old City was planned around it in four quarters. North of it are the Char Kaman, or four gateways. In 1670 a minaret fell after lightning struck it and was repaired, and in 1820 part of the monument was renovated by Sikandar Jah.

On the globe

The model shows the square monument with its four arches and four tall minarets.