Yousuf Tekri

I have met people who have been living in Hyderabad for decades but havent seen Golconda Fort or the Qutb shahi tombs.It always amazes me as to how could they ignore the centuries old evidence of our culture and history.They all give the same reason.'we arent running off to someplace we will watch it sooner or later'.'uska bhi waqt ata yaro!'(typical hyderabadi nizami attitude).To be frank even i had this attitude for a heritage building close to where i live(since the building in question is relatively not that signifiucant compared to the monuments i mentioned above i have forgiven myself in my court of justice)

Finally last friday I decided i had enough of this and went off to Yousuf Tekri building,along with shoaib.It is located on the tolichowki-mehdipatnam road,adjacent to the mamu's food joint.This building belonged to Nawab Yousufuddin Khan,a subedar of Gulbarga,during the reign of the sixth Nizam Mir Mehbub Ali Khan.It is built in the form of a castle and is more than 120 years old.I was surprised on seeing the interiors.Some people were putting on paint on the walls and the whole place looked beautiful.On asking I was informed that this painting was for a movie shoot that was going to take place in few days.I learned later that this is a favorite location for shooting movies.

There is no problem in going and seeing the building.You need no permission and nobody will stop you there.

Saidanimma's Tomb

Today I had some work in Ranigunj.While going towards the bus stop near tank bund,I stopped by Saidanimma's tomb on MG road.It is on the left side of the road while going towards tank bund from Ranigunj.

This tomb belongs to the mother of the Abdul Haq Diler Jung,a noble in the Asaf Jahi court.Built in the late nineteenth century(1800s).Even though this was built in the Asaf Jahi time(nizam's time) it has predominantly Qutb Shahi features.The tomb is full of ornamentation and looks similar to the work in Paigah tombs.

This structure lies on the main road and one shouldnt miss this when taking a stroll on the Tank Bund stretch.

Spanish Mosque

Today evening I went to the Spanish Mosque in Begumpet along with shoaib.It is also known as the Moorish Mosque.Built in 1906 by Iqbal-ud-Daula,the paigah (the same family which built the Falaknuma Palace) it is a copy of a mosque in spain and is the only one of its kind in India.

'Madhu Vottery in her book 'A Guide to the Heritage of Hyderabad' says 'It is one of the best maintained mosques of the city,existing in its original shape even today.

We went to the mosque at the time of the Asar namaz.As we were gazing at the mosque from one end , a man waved at us from the mosque and motioned us to come near and take a closer look.The masjid is beautiful with the golden colour and is unlike any other mosque I have ever seen.Though it is small it looks something from the pages of Arabian nights.As the time for the namaz was getting near we made wazu and offered our namaz inside.After the namaz we took a few pics and made our way back home.

Note- no need to worry about taking pics as no one really bothered us.

Additional Info-from wikipedia
The other notable features are Moorish arches inside the prayer hall, Quranic verses in exquisite calligraphy inscribed on the inside walls, the absence of an ablution tank and a courtyard. In plan, the mosque comprises a main prayer hall, two rooms in front of it and a central corridor for entering the hall. It is over this central corridor or the entrance porch that the octagonal dome stands.
           The mosque is built with stone masonry in lime mortar up to the basement and the superstructure in brick masonry in lime mortar. The roof is jack arch type on iron girders with brick and lime concrete. The domes, minarets and small turrets are built with brick and stone masonry and the outer face plastered with lime mortar. The central dome has a perforated screen.

            Believed to be a copy of a similar mosque in Spain, it might have caught the attention of the Paigah noble, either during his eight month long tour of Europe or he may have stumbled on a photograph. Whatever the source, the Nawab lived up to his reputation of being a great builder having a penchant for creating something unique, as seen from his magnificent hilltop Falaknuma Palace.