Qutb Shahi Heritage Park: Culmination of a decade-long journey of conservation

A few hundred metres from the Golconda fort in Hyderabad, India lies the greatest architectural achievement of the Qutb Shahi dynasty– a 100-acre necropolis built over a 169-year period, before the dynasty suffered defeat at the hands of its Mughal contemporaries. Out of the 100 structures that have been restored after a decade of meticulous conservation work, four Qutb Shahi mausolea stand over 40 metres tall, making their grandeur comparable to the greatest hits of their eventual conquerors — Taj Mahal and Humayun’s Mausoleum, the latter of which was facing continual dilapidation until 2007, before the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) joined hands with the Archaeological Survey of India to restore the monument with an authentic and sustainable approach to conservation. Once the conservation work on Mughal architecture around Nizammudin started to bear fruit, AKTC decided to adopt the Qutb Shahi necropolis – bringing much deserved attention to historical marvels put in place by the Mughals’ lesser-known but equally inventive Deccan rivals. This feat was undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team at AKTC in 2011.The ambitious conservation effort began with prioritising structures that were already in an advanced stage of deterioration or partial collapse. They managed to collect over 500 images from the 1850’s onwards for the project. Ratish Nanda, Chief Executive, AKTC, said, “A major challenge has been the abuse of the judicial system by vested interests – holding up significant project components such as building of a site museum.”