Telangana Pushes Next Phase of Qutb Shahi Tombs Conservation
HYDERABAD: Telangana is moving ahead with unfinished conservation and visitor-development work at Hyderabad's Qutb Shahi Tombs, even after more than a decade of restoration transformed the royal necropolis into the 106-acre Qutb Shahi Heritage Park.
Tourism and Culture Minister Jupally Krishna Rao ordered officials in April to resume pending works outside areas affected by litigation, saying legal disputes involving specific portions of the property should not stall conservation across the rest of the historic complex.
The Qutb Shahi Heritage Park has undergone one of India's largest sustained heritage-conservation programs since a partnership was established in 2013 between the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Telangana heritage authorities and the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority.
The Aga Khan Development Network describes the complex as containing 70 principal historic structures, including 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, five stepwells and other water structures, a hammam, pavilions, garden structures and enclosure walls.
The April inspection also revived attention on a proposed 1.3-kilometre ropeway connecting the Qutb Shahi Tombs and Golconda Fort. The ropeway remains a proposal, not an approved or under-construction transport link.
In late August, Hyderabad Mail reported that the Aga Khan Trust for Culture would assume management of the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, following a new memorandum of understanding. The reported agreement runs for 10 years. Under the reported arrangement, management of the heritage park and restoration activities will be brought under AKTC, while plans also include closer integration with adjoining Deccan Park.
The restored stepwells received international recognition when conservation of six of them won an Award of Distinction in the 2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
For Telugu Americans visiting Hyderabad, the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park tells the story of the dynasty that founded Hyderabad and built the architectural and cultural foundations from which the modern city developed.
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