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Golconda Fort
Hyderabad and surrounding
Castles, Fortresses, Towers
Castles, Fortresses, Towers

Since the 16th century, the city of Hyderabad has been known for its diamond mines. Local Nawabs owned countless treasures that allowed them to build huge temples and luxurious palaces. And some of them built impregnable fortresses to protect their riches.

Such a fort – the ruins of the Golkonda fortress – is located within 11 kilometers from the city. The «Shepherds’ Hill» (this is how the name of this antique complex is translated) is a favorite place for promenades among the locals and tourists. And it isn’t just because of the beauty of the place. Many people come here to test a legend. They say that an enormous part of diamonds, owned by the ancient dynasties of Nawabs who ruled over the area, is still kept in the catacombs of Golkonda. And if you look down carefully when walking, there is a chance to find a small but real diamond.

Of course, if the legend were true, the locals and tourists would have dismantled the monument for bricks. However, everyone who comes to the Golkonda Fort attempts to find a small precious souvenir.

Today, there is an open-air museum. In the evenings, the fortress comes alive with a beautiful light show telling the story of these places.

Earlier, this was a center for mining and selling diamonds. Here, for a rather long time, the famous Hope and Koh-i-Noor diamonds were stored.

An impregnable citadel built with four fortified parts was a perfect repository for the treasures of the great Nawabs. The total number of bastions of Golkonda, allowing the successful repulse of attacks, exceeded 80; while the length of the walls ran for more than 10 kilometers. All walls were reinforced with cannons, some of which are preserved to this day. Inside the fortress, there was everything essential for life: dwelling houses, warehouses, stables, and, of course, temples. Because the fort was often sieged, a proper water supply had to be considered. For that, a unique system of plumbing with clay pipes was invented. For both safe and merry life, the streets of the fortress were decorated with fountains and pools.

Address: Golkonda

Published by

Diane Mikheeva

All content and media files are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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