Charminar to Golconda, Hyderabad is full of history. Yet not a single World Heritage Site

The Print

21-05-2025

For once, the internet made a smart point—because had that actually been the case, the Charminar and other Hyderabad monuments might have made it to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites by now. It's a pity that despite being a global city, both historically and in the present day, Hyderabad still doesn't have a single monument on that list. All that we've had are feeble attempts.
While their tour made global news, what got my attention were the many internet comments about the event. Many Hyderabadis kept reiterating one thing in their online comments: how things would be so much better if the Old City were free from its usual clutter for everyone and not just for fancy foreign guests.
The whole world watched as the Old City of Hyderabad welcomed Miss World contestants during their heritage walk on the evening of 14 May, and I think, as a city, we couldn't have been prouder. The Charminar was swept clean and decorated, and the streets were sanitised to clear out the daily clutter and give the contestants a more comfortable experience.
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Great sites, bad management
With the exception of the Qutb Shahi tombs complex, monuments in Hyderabad are far from achieving UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The Golconda Fort and Charminar are globally known and attract a lot of tourists every year, but both sites are, frankly, good examples of bad management in general.
(For now, Telangana's only spot on the list is the Kakatiya-era 13th-century Ramappa temple, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2020.)
The Charminar, as it stands today, has a temple on it that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) itself has previously said is an unauthorised construction (and that it has no records of it).
The Golconda Fort, meanwhile, is surrounded by residential homes. These were built over the last four decades within its original boundary walls. What many of us don't realise is that when we go to the fort, we only visit the palace area of the citadel. The fort actually has eight gates and several other monuments within its enclosure, covering about 7 kilometres, but those slowly gave way to unauthorised constructions.
In Hyderabad, the ASI controls the Golconda Fort and the Charminar, while the Qutb Shahi tombs are managed by the state government. I won't mention any other places when it comes to the UNESCO World Heritage list, because these are the most prominent and historically important sites.
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Failed attempts at rejuvenation
Hyderabad's heritage has been routinely let down.
The Charminar was built in 1591, when Mohd Quli Qutb Shah, the fourth king of the Golconda kingdom, decided to move out of the Golconda Fort, which had been the capital until then. His grandfather, Sultan Quli, who was of Persian origin, had founded the Qutb Shahi or Golconda kingdom in 1518.
The Qutb Shahi tombs complex is where the entire dynasty is buried. This necropolis is possibly one of the best historical sites in India to explore, thanks to its fabulous restoration by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
In 2020, there was supposedly a proposal to club it with other Deccan monuments in Bijapur and Bidar and nominate them together for the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag. However, that fell through.
Then, about a decade ago, the state government had attempted the same with the Charminar and Golconda Fort. Even that did not work out due to the umpteen issues around both sites. Lack of basic public infrastructure, such as tourist amenities, and the failure to clear encroachments are two major issues that plague both monuments.
Even the few limited successes barely lasted. For instance, in the Old City, the state government had started the Charminar Pedestrian Project, which unsuccessfully ran for over two decades to try and pedestrianise the main Pathergatti to Charminar stretch. While that didn't work out, the government finally managed to pedestrianise the 200–300 metre area in front of the Charminar about half a decade ago.
I remember feeling happy then because hawkers had actually been kept off the main pathway leading to the Charminar. But even that lasted only two weeks, as the hawkers eventually reoccupied the road that was meant to facilitate a smooth walking experience. That, apart from the continuous littering caused by the hawkers and the general lack of hygiene, makes visiting the Charminar a terrible experience every single time.
While there is now some hope with the Qutb Shahi tombs due to its restoration, we are still far from protecting and maintaining our monuments at a world-class level. Even citizens in those areas need to be sensitised to the fact that this will help them too. It will draw more tourists and help the city become a great destination that all of us can be proud of.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. He tweets @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)