TOUR NO.2  (20-09-2008)
(Transportation by AC Bus)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PLACES OF VISIT:
Hyderabad, capital city of Andhra Pradesh, is an exciting holiday destination. A blend of heritage and modernity, it has a wide-ranging choice of activities and facilities for leisure and pleasure, parks, lakes, museums, heritage monuments, entertainment and shopping centers.

Salarjung Museum: The Museum houses one of the biggest one-man collections of antiques of the world by Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salarjung-III.  The objects d’art include Persian carpets, Moghul miniatures, Chinese porcelain, Japanese lacquer ware, famous statues including the veiled Rebecca and Marguerite and Mephistopheles, a superb collection of jade, daggers belonging to Queen Noor Jahan and the Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan, Aurangazeb’s sword and many other fabulous items.

Charminar: Mohd.Quli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, built Charminar in 1591 at the centre of the original city lay out.  Four graceful minarets soar to a height of 48.7 metres above the ground.  Charminar has 45 prayer spaces and a mosque in it.  Visitors can view the architectural splendor inside the Charminar.

Laad Bazaar: The Laad Bazaar has a history of four hundred years; as old as the city and is as famous as the Charminar.  In the Qutb Shahi period the pearls and precious stones were brought and sold here.  Laad Bazaar precedes the founding of Hyderabad, as it was part of the trade tour to Machilipatnam.  It is the centre of bangles for international markets.  One can spy some remains of cusped arches under the loud signboards, showing evidences of architectural ordering.  A close observation shows fragmentary evidences of a uniform façade, co-coordinating the stairs with definite shop types.

Mecca Masjid: A 200 yards south west of Charminar is Mecca Masjid, so named because the bricks were brought from Mecca to build the central arch.  Fifteen graceful arches – five to each of the three sides, support the roof.  Towards the southern end of the mosque lie the marble graves of members of the Asf Jahi dynasty.

Chowmahalla complex: Built in several phases by the Nizams between 1857-1869, the complex comprises four palaces in Moghal and European styles, of which the main palace is double storeyed with the others being single storeyed blocks.