Golconda Fort

Golconda Fort is a granite citadel on a hill in the western part of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It began as a small mud fort in the 11th century and was greatly expanded in the 1500s by the Qutb Shahi sultans of Golconda into a huge fortress about 5 kilometres around, with an outer wall of roughly 7 kilometres that once enclosed a whole city.

Golconda was famous as a trading centre for large diamonds, since diamonds from nearby mines such as Kollur were traded here. The Koh-i-Noor and the Hope diamond are said to have come from mines in this region.

From mud fort to capital

The name Golconda probably comes from the Telugu words for "shepherd's hill". Rulers of the Kakatiya dynasty built the first fort, and it later passed to the Bahmani sultans. In 1518 Quli Qutb Shah made himself independent and turned it into the capital of the Sultanate of Golconda. Over 62 years the first three Qutb Shahi sultans rebuilt the mud fort in granite. The capital moved to Hyderabad in 1590, but Golconda stayed important as a fortress.

Sound and stone

The walls have round bastions, and a pavilion called Bala Hissar crowns the boulder-strewn hill about 120 metres high. The fort is famous for its clever acoustics: a clap made under the entrance dome is said to be heard at the top of the hill. In 2014 Golconda and other forts were put on UNESCO's tentative list for World Heritage status.

On the globe

The model shows the walled citadel with round bastions on its granite hill.