GIVING THE PAST A FUTURE

The restoration of the Qutb Shahi complex in Hyderabad can be a template for other preservation efforts

- Bhavya Dore

By 2013, parts of the baolis (ancient stepwells) inside Hyderabad’s centuries-old Qutb Shahi tomb complex had collapsed. Rubble had collected. Granite stone blocks were missing. The park itself, a vast and wondrous necropolis, containing the tombs of the Golconda kings, lay dilapidated and ignored. But last month, 10 years after restoration commenced here, it was recognised with a UNESCO award of distinction.

“It was just like any other neglected monument—over a period of time, they get lost to encroachments, demolition, destruction,” says Arvind Kumar, special chief secretary of Telangana’s urban development department. “Yes, it’s a slow journey [of restoration], but a very meaningful one, and we feel very proud of the way it is coming up now.”

Work began in 2013, following a Memorandum of Understanding between the state government, the local authority and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The Trust has previously been recognised for its work on Delhi’s Sunder Nursery and Nizamuddin Basti.