Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (4 April 156511 January 1612) was the fifth sultan of the Sultanate of Golconda and founder of the city of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. He built its architectural centrepiece, the

Charminar The Charminar () is a monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana. The Charminar's long history includes the existence of a m ...

. He was an able administrator and his reign is considered one of the high points of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He ascended to the throne in 1580 at the age of 15 and ruled for 31 years.

Early life and reign

Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah was the third son of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali of the Sultanate of Golconda . Wedding procession of Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah

Wedding procession of Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah

Muhammad succeeded his father in the year 1580 at the age of 15. His rule lasted for 31 years. He faced minor rebellions on the eastern and western fronts of the sultanate during the initial years of his rule. He led the troops himself and defeated Ali Khan Loor and Yashwant Raj. In 1592 further disturbance was created by Shah Saheb for ascending the throne. During this time he sent Aitbar Khan with a large troop and he defeated Shah Saheb. Amidst the chaos Muhammad Quli was still able to patronage art and establish the city of Hyderabad. His reign is considered the high point of the Sultanate of Golconda.

Founding of Hyderabad

From the time of his father Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, there was a high influx of populace into the city of

Golconda Golconda is a fortified citadel and ruined city located on the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls. It was ceded to the Bahmani ...

, which led to over-crowding and unhygienic conditions. This created the need for an extension or new city. The construction of Hyderabad was initiated in 1591, on the southern bank of the River Musi. Before construction he prayed by reciting the following couplet for the welfare of the city: "Make my city full of people, like you keep the river full of fish." There is a degree of folklore associated with selection of the land for the new city of Hyderabad. It is said that once the sultan was coming back from a hunt and he crossed the bridge across River Musi and arrived at the flat land which pleased him. However, Muhammad Quli must have been aware of the presence of this land and the story is a romanticised version. The city was planned in a gridiron manner with the

in the centre and other important palaces and administrative buildings along the surrounding axes. Other important buildings which were constructed in the following years such as Dar-ul-Shifa, Mecca Masjid, Badshahi Ashurkhana and several palaces which have since been demolished. Muhammad Quli also planned several gardens throughout the city.

Patronage of art and literature

Muhammad Quli was a patron of poetry, paintings, calligraphy and architecture. Major scripts used in this period are Nastaliq, Naksh, Kufi, Tughra and Sulus. A unique inscription is on Mecca Masjid in Nastaliq script, a script not known anywhere else in the Deccan region. Another inscription in the same mosque is a verse of the Quran carved in Naksh style. Muhammad Quli was an accomplished poet and wrote his poetry in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, Telugu and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

. He is considered one of the first poets to write in the Deccani Urdu language. He wrote in a wide range of genres from religious to romantic to profane. He composed his verses in the Persian ''diwan'' style, and his poems consisted of verses relating to a single topic, ''gazal-i musalsal''. His poetry has been compiled into a volume entitled ''Kulliyat-e-Quli Qutub Shah''. Over half of its 1800 pages were ''gazals'', while ''qasidas'' were present on one hundred pages, and the rest over 300 pages of ''matnawi'' and ''marsiyas.'' He was the first ''Saheb-e-dewan'' Urdu poet. Physicians who wrote

Persian language Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

books on

Unani medicine Unani or Yunani medicine (Urdu: ''tibb yūnānī'') is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The term '' Yūnānī'' means 'Greek', re ...

during his reign include Mir Momin (''Ikhtiyarat-i Qutub Shahi''), Shamsuddin Ali Husain al-Jurjani (''Tazkirat-i Kahhalin''), Hakim Shamsuddin bin Nuruddin (''Zubdat-ul Hukama''), Abdullah Tabib (''Tibb-i Farid''), Taqiuddin Muhammad bin Sadruddin Ali (''Mizan-ul Tabai), Nizamuddin Ahmad Gilani (''Majmu'a-i Hakim-ul mulk''), and Ismai'l bin Ibrahim Tabrezi (''Tazkirat-ul Hukama'').

References

Sources

* Sangaychay Mala by Gajanan Pole * Prime Ministers of Qutubshhs by Sri Bhopal Rao * *
Books on Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
* Chopra, R.M., The Rise, Growth And Decline of Indo-Persian Literature, Iran Culture House, New Delhi, 2012. * https://indianculture.gov.in/rarebooks/landmarks-deccan-comprehensive-guide-archaeological-remains-city-and-suburbs-hyderabad

External links