SAARC Tourism.org

Hyderabad has its own distinct image.... The tinkle of colorful bangles…The rich, dewy pearls…The aroma of Shahi Biryani…That’s the essence of Hyderabad for you. In recent years it has been wearing the cloak of Cyberabad. Hyderabad holds a long string of travel attractions. Several of them are closely associated with history, while many are modern structures. Hyderabad has the assets to provide satisfaction to visitor of every taste.

City Travel Attractions
Charminar
This best known landmark of Hyderabad gets it name from Char (four) Minar (towers). The Charminar is a 56 m (185 feet) high arch, which has four minarets, nice balconies and a small mosque. Situated amidst bustling bazaars, Charminar has beautiful arches and elegant minarets. It was built in the year 1591 by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shahi to commemorate the end of the dreaded epidemic plague.

Golconda Fort
With 18 m high walls, 8 huge gates, 87 bastions for cannons and sprawled over 5 km, this fort is indeed impressive, where each corner tells a story of royalty, passion and bravery. The Fort’s massive battlements wind tenuously up a dust-brown hill. Inside the citadel are the ruins of palaces, assembly halls, stables, barracks and arsenal. The Fort has got a fantastic acoustic system by which a hand clap sounded in the Grand Portico can be heard in the Durbar Hall atop the hill. From the Throne Terrace one can see the pavilions from where Taramati and Pamamati, two favourite mistresses, are believed to have sung for their Sultans.

The fort is open daily from 7.00 am to 8.00 pm. There is a very interesting sound and light show every evening.

Venkateswara Temple (Birla Mandir)
This is an elegant white marble-carved temple built by the Birla Foundation. It is opened daily from
7.00 am to noon and from 3.00 pm to 9.00 pm.

Birla Planetarium
It is located on top of Naubat Pahar Hill. There are English shows from Mondays to Saturdays at
11.30 am, 4.00 pm, 6.00 pm respectively and on Sundays at 11.00 am, 3.45 pm and 6 pm respectively. It is closed on the last Tuesday of the month. The Admission fee is around Rs.10.00.

Falaknuma Palace and Purani Haveli
If you are a lover of antiques, precious artifacts and architecture Falaknuma Palace and Purani Haveli will entrall you.

Mecca Masjid
Situated near the Charminar, Mecca Masjid is one of the largest mosques in the world. The construction of this mosque was started in the year 1614 by the 6th Qutub Shahi king, Abdullah Qutub Shahi, but was completed only in 1687 by the Mughul emperor Aurangazeb when he annexed the Golconda Kingdom.

Qutub Shahi Tombs
These seven elegant tombs, outside the Golconda Fort, contain the remains of seven of the rulers of the Qutub Shahi kingdom.

Hussain Sagar Lake
This picturesque 6 1/2 km by 4 km artificial lake, has a 17.5m high, 350 tonne (approximately) monolithic Buddha statue on a platform in the middle of the lake.

Nehru Zoological Park
A great attraction for kids, this large zoo, set in a scenic locale, houses a large number of animals. It has a lion safari and a toy-train that goes around the zoo. It is open daily from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm except on Mondays. There is also an Aquarium in the Park, which is open daily between 10.30 am to 5.00 pm, except on Sundays.