Since 2013, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in partnership with the Department of Heritage Telangana, has been undertaking conservation works on all monuments along with holistic landscape development of the 106-acre Qutb Shahi Heritage Park.

In the 16th century, while the Mughals were building grand fortifications, mausoleums and mosques in north India, the Qutb Shahi dynasty also built majestic structures in its capital, present-day Hyderabad. Builders and patrons of learning, the Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled the region for 169 years in the 16th and 17th centuries. The complex includes 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, five baolis (step-wells), a hammam, pavilions and garden structures.

Eight years of dedicated effort to conserve the historic monuments and step-wells, and restore the landscape including pathways, water bodies and green spaces covered with grass and fruit trees has reinstated the original grandeur envisaged by the Qutb Shahi builders.

As with the Trust’s other conservation works including those in Delhi, Kabul and Cairo, the creation of this heritage park in Hyderabad carried out by master craftsmen is intended to not only promote tourism and lead a revival of building crafts in the region, but also instil a sense of pride in the city’s residents and generate potential economic opportunities for local businesses.