Hyderabad
City of Pearls
—  metropolitan city  —
Clockwise from top : Charminar, Birla Mandir, Hussain Sagar and Chowmahalla Palace
Hyderabad Location of Hyderabad in India
Coordinates	17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366°N 78.476°E / 17.366; 78.476Coordinates: 17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366°N 78.476°E / 17.366; 78.476
Country	India
Region	Deccan
State	Andhra Pradesh
District(s)	Hyderabad Rangareddy Medak Mahbubnagar Nalgonda
Founded	1591 AD
Mayor	Mohammad Majid Hussain
City Police Commissioner	Abdul Khayum Khan
Members of Parliament	Asaduddin Owaisi, Anjan Kumar Yadav, Sarve Satyanarayana
Planning Agency	GHMC, HMDA
Population • Metro	6,809,970 (4th) (2011[update]) • 7,749,334 (6th) (2011[update])
Official languages	Telugu and Urdu
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation • Coastline	• 536 metres (1,759 ft) • 0 kilometres (0 mi)
Climate • Precipitation Temperature • Summer • Winter	Aw (Köppen) •      603 mm (23.7 in) •      26.0 °C (78.8 °F) •      35.9 °C (96.6 °F) •      2 °C (36 °F)
Distance(s) • From Delhi • 1,499 kilometres (931 mi) S (land) • From Mumbai • 711 kilometres (442 mi) SE (land) • From Chennai • 688 kilometres (428 mi) N (land) • From Kolkata • 1,516 kilometres (942 mi) SW (land)
Codes • Pincode • 500 xxx, 501 xxx, 502 xxx, 508 xxx, 509 xxx • Telephone • +91–40, 8413, 8414, 8415, 8417, 8418, 8453, 8455 • UN/LOCODE • IN HYD • Vehicle • AP 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 22, 23, 24, 28 & 29
Website	www.ghmc.gov.in

Hyderabad (ⁱ/ˈhaɪdərəbæd/) is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Located on the banks of the Musi River in the Deccan Plateau, the city is one of the largest in India with an area of 650 square kilometres (250 sq mi) and a population of 6.8 million, while the metropolitan area contains 7.7 million residents, making it the fourth most populous city and the sixth most populous urban agglomeration in the country. In 2008, the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of Hyderabad was US$ 60 billion—ranking fourth in India and ninety third in the world.

Hyderabad city was established in 1591 CE by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, whose dynasty lasted until 1658 when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb occupied Golconda Sultanate and the city became part of the Mughal empire's Deccan province. In 1724 Asif Jah I, a Mughal viceroy, declared his sovereignty and formed the Asif Jahi Dynasty, also known as the Nizams of Hyderabad. The Nizams ruled the princely state of Hyderabad for more than two centuries, under subsidiary alliance with the British Raj. The city remained the dynasty's capital from 1769 until 1948—when the Nizam signed an Instrument of Accession with the Indian Union following Operation polo. In 1956, the city was merged with Andhra State. Since 1969 Hyderabad is a major center of the Telangana movement, which demands a separate state for the Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh.

Situated on the crossroads of North and South India, the city has been noted for its unique culture. As the capital of the largest and richest Princely state of India, and with the patronage from Nizams, the city established local traditions in drama, art, theater, literature, architecture and cuisine. The city is a regular tourist destination and home to many places of interest, including the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage site of Chowmahalla Palace, and other notable landmarks such as the Charminar and Golconda fort. Hyderabad is home to numerous museums, Bazaars, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the Salarjung museum, Laad Bazaar, Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) and Shilpakala Vedika.

Hyderabad was once a global center of the diamond and pearls trade, for which it is known by the sobriquet City of Pearls. The municipal boundaries of the city was expanded in 2007 and the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad came under the ambit of a single municipal unit, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The city has emerged as a hub for the information technology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industries, alongside traditional service industries. Hyderabad International Airport, serving 5–15 million passengers annually, was adjudged the world's fifth best airport. Hyderabad's 13 universities and business schools form a major location for higher education and research in India. The city is home to the Telugu film industry known as Tollywood. As a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Hyderabad confronts substantial urban pollution, traffic congestion, poverty, overpopulation, and other logistic and socioeconomic problems.

Etymology[link]

The etymology of Hyderabad is marred by myths. One popular myth postulates that Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad,^[1] named the city Bhaganagar after Bhagmathi, a local nautch girl who he fell in love with. He married Bhagmathi who converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Begum. The city was rechristened after Hyder Begum to Hyderabad.^[2] Another theory says Hyderabad was named to honour the Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who was also known as Hyder.^[3]

History[link]

Early history[link]

Although Hyderabad was established in 1591, archaeologists have unearthed Iron Age sites near the city that could date back to 500 BCE.^[4] The region comprising modern Hyderabad and its surrounding was known as Golkonda (English: The Shepherd's Hill),^[5] which was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty from 731 CE to 966 CE.^[6] Following the dissolution of Chalukyas into four empires in the 11th century, Golkonda came under the control of the Kakatiya dynasty (1000–1310).^[7] The Kakatiya dynasty's headquarters was at Warangal, located 148 kilometres (92 mi) northeast of modern Hyderabad.^[8]

Medieval history[link]

The Golkonda fort is the oldest existing structure in Hyderabad.^[9]

When Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi took over Warangal, the Hyderabad region came under the Khilji dynasty (1310–1321). Alauddin Khilji carried with him to Delhi the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which was mined from the Kollur Mines in Golkonda.^[10] Afterwards Muhammad bin Tughluq annexed Delhi, which brought Warangal under the direct rule of the Tughlaq dynasty until 1347. Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah a governor of Muhammad bin Tughluq revolted against the Sultanate and established the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan with Gulbarga (200 kilometres (124 mi) west of Hyderabad) as its capital. The Bahmani kings ruled the region until 1518, becoming the first independent Muslim rulers of the Deccan.^[8]

In 1518, Sultan Quli, a governor of Golkonda, revolted against the Bahmani Sultanate and established the Qutb Shahi dynasty.^[8] Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, established Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi River in 1591;^[11] the city was established to avoid water shortage experienced at Golkonda, the capital of the Sultanate.^[12] He constructed the Charminar, Purana pul and Mecca Masjid in the city.^[13]

On 21 September 1687,^[14] the Golkonda Sultanate came under the rule of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after a year-long siege of the Golkonda fort.^[15] The area under the Sultanate was renamed as Deccan Suba (Deccan Provence) and, during this period of Mughal rule, the capital was shifted from Golkonda to Aurangabad (about 550 kilometres (342 mi) northwest of Hyderabad).^[15][16]

Nizam period[link]