10 Most Interesting Facts About Charminar

  • Charminar is built in the year 1591 AD by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth qutub shahi dynasty ruler. It is 450 Years old now making it older than monuments like Taj mahal and red fort. Charminar was built in main intersection of Golconda with trade port of Machilipatnam. Mir Momin Astarabadi was the main person who started the design and intersection of Charminar.

  • It was built to commemorate eradication of a major plague and thank Allah for the eradication. The tazias decorate the Charminar on each side. Construction of Charminar is concurrent to foundation of the city of Hyderabad after the plague. The famous quote of Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah goes that ” Fill this city with people as you have filled the river with fishes Ya Allah”

  • Charminar is a Masjid and a madrasa in center of Hyderabad then. There is a second widely held belief though not established historically is that it is a monument by the king to honor his love for one tribal woman called bhagmati.
  • Charminar resembles Isfahan islami Architecture with elements of indo islamic architecture. The monument is a perfect square each side measure 20 meters. It is built with Granite and lime mortar in Cazia type of Architecture. The landmark is particularly famous for its four minars thus the work Charminar means four towers.

  • The four minars or towers in each corner symbolize the four rashidum khalifas of islam. The minars are four storey structures with height of 48.7 meters. The minars have two balconies each. It is also considered First multistory structure in Hyderabad.

  • You can find the masjid on the roof top of Charminar with mihrab and arches on all sides. It is believed that Charminar hides a escape tunnel for the rulers in case of attack, till now no one is able to locate the tunnel. The Carvings and moldings are intricate, there is a carving of cat which is a best enemy of rats, probably contributed to eradication of plague. To get on top floor one has to climb 149 steps all minars have steps.

  • Clock have been installed on four sides in year 1889 and after 1947 administration did not show interest in taking care of them, the bronze gears were stolen and later restored by watch maker Rasool Khan.

  • Of late Charminar has been bone of contention and being dragged into religious fervor as a new temple has been built just attached to the structure and high court directing to stop any new construction henceforth.