Qutub Shahi Tombs

The Qutb Shahi Tombs are located in the Ibrahim Bagh (garden precinct), close to the famous Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, India. They contain the tombs and mosques built by the various kings of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The galleries of the smaller tombs are of a single storey while the larger ones are two storied. In the centre of each tomb is a sarcophagus which overlies the actual burial vault in a crypt below. The domes were originally overlaid with blue and green tiles, of which only a few pieces now remain.
The entrance and corridors of the tombs presents an Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, while ornamental parapets and minarets showcase the Islamic architecture. Two-tiered terraces, false ceilings and central pillars, which form an essential part of the structures, have also been intricately decorated.
These tombs were planned and built by Qutub Shahis. These were renovated by Salar Jung III, Mir Yousuf Ali Khan in the 19th century. Constructed on an elevated platform, these tombs are made up of grey granite. These are dome-structured and have quadrangular shape. Each tomb is surrounded by pointed arches and is of 9-15 meters in height from the platform. These pointed arches also add on to the beauty of these structures. Each tomb is also decorated with beautiful ornamentation. However with the passage of time, these ornamentations are not clearly visible now.