Mosques in Hyderabad date back to the 16th century. In 1518, Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk established the Qutb Shahi dynasty and rebuilt the fortress of Golconda. He also commissioned the Jama Mosque, which is the oldest surviving mosque in Hyderabad. Successive Qutb Shahi rulers would patronize the construction of several elaborate mosques built in the distinctive style that evolved during this period.
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah established the city of Hyderabad in 1591, which would grow to encompass Golconda. He built the Charminar as the centerpiece of the city, as well as the Mecca Masjid, which is the largest mosque in the city with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 worshippers.[1] The 17th-century Toli Masjid shows Hindu influences in its ornamentation.[2] Other mosques dating back to the Qutb Shahi period include the mosques at Khairatabad, Hayatnagar, and Musheerabad.
After a brief Mughal rule, the Nizams of Hyderabad ruled the city between 1724 and 1948. Some of the mosques from this period, such as the Afzal Gunj mosque and Chowk Ke Masjid were reminiscent of the Qutb Shahi style.[3] Later mosques showed more cosmopolitan influences, such as the Spanish Mosque, drawing from Moorish architecture.[4]
- ^ Bilgrami 1927, p. 36–41.
- ^ Yazdani, Ghulam (1918). "Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness The Nizam's Dominions" (PDF). Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press. pp. 3–5.
- ^ Jayyusi, Salma K.; Holod, Renata; Petruccioli, Attilio; Raymond, Andre (2008). The City in the Islamic World, Volume 94/1 & 94/2. BRILL. pp. 593, 611–613. ISBN 978-90-04-16240-2.
- ^ Gopalan, Madhumita (24 September 2016). "The Spanish mosque: Moorish architecture in the heart of Hyderabad". The News Minute. Retrieved 22 July 2023.