Four Hours - Four Towers

I made sure to schedule my flight for Friday evening so I had time to do some sightseeing before heading back to Kochi.  I got most of it done on Thursday since we made it back early, but still had a few things on the agenda and about four hours to cover it.  Dr. Nelson had already seen all of these at least once so I was on my own.  First stop: Charminar.

Also known as the "Mosque of the Four Minarets", Charminar is the most famous monument in Hyderabad.  In 1591, Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah, the 5th ruler of that dynasty, built Charminar to recognize the elimination of a plague from his city.  He had vowed to build a mosque in the exact spot he prayed for the plague.   
Taken from Wikipedia...
"In 1591 while laying the foundation of Charminar, Quli Qutb shah prayed: "Oh Allah, bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode, like fish in the water."

Two of the four minarets

The best picture I could get of the entire thing - it's in a busy area!

On the top floor looking down

A view of the area from the top of Charminar

Hallway around the top of the Charminar

Before I even stepped foot out of the tuk-tuk, I was already surrounded by beggars.  I'm surprised one women didn't get in the tuk tuk with me.  It was really uncomfortable so I was trying to walk quickly while taking a few pictures.  Charminar is smack dab in the middle of the street and the driver let me off by the entrance, but told me it wasn't open yet and to walk around to the other side.  He pointed me in the wrong direction, so I ended up walking around it entirely before ending up close to my starting point and the entrance.  I was probably approached by at least 15 beggars.  And they weren't just sitting down asking for money - they are easy to ignore.  Most of them started to follow me and try to touch my arm which made it difficult to talk pictures.  Once I paid the 100rs fee (it was only 20 rs for Indians...  they discriminate), I was okay inside since no one was begging for my american dollars there. 

After quickly walking around, I headed over to the Mecca Masjid, one of the world's largest mosques, that sits adjacent to the Charminar.  It is big enough for 10,000 people to cram in and worship.  Even though women are not allowed inside, I could walk around the outside area that seemed to be the place for dirty pigeon feeding.  Construction on it started in 1614 but wasn't finished until 1687.  

Mecca Masjid - I couldn't walk far enough back to get a good, full view.

The tomb of Nizam Ali Khan and his successors

A view of the Mecca Masjid from the Charminar

Due to the large amount of beggars on the street, I cut my visit to this area short.  There weren't many foreigners there at that time so I must have looked like I had big money.  I went and hung out at a mall for awhile before heading back to the hotel and busing it back to the airport for my flight.  My next blog post will be a bit boring... back to the same o routine in Kochi.