The city of Hyderabad is a graceful reminder of the erstwhile wealthy Nizams and dazzling pearls. Endowed with minarets, mosques, forts and colorful bazaars on one side and modern restaurants, hotels, and shopping areas on the other, Hyderabad makes a fascinating blend of the old and the new. Also the city is well reputed as being one of the leading centers of Information Technology in India, ranks only next to the silicon capital Bangalore.

Hyderabad came into being when Mohammad, the fifth Quli Qutub Shahi ruler was forced to shift his erstwhile fortress city of Golconda due to scarcity of water and frequent epidemics of plague and cholera. The new city was planned with the Charminar (minaret) as its center, from where four great roads fanning out in the four cardinal directions.

The city’s landmark attraction is the ‘Charminar’, one off the brilliant architecture ever built. It is flanked by four impressive minarets and hence the name –‘Char-Miner’. It soars to a height of 180 feet and often referred to as the ‘Arc de Triomphe’. Set in close proximity to this graceful minaret is the Mecca Masjid, one of the largest mosques in the country. So big and spacious it is that nearly ten thousand men can offer their prayer at the same time under its roof. A few kilometers away from the Charminar lies the abandoned city and fort of Golconda. It counts amongst the largest living forts to be seen in India.