Rare black marble takht to be shifted to Makkah Masjid

Hyderabad: The efforts of Awqaf Committee HEH the Nizam to shift the historical black marble takht (marble slab bench) of Maqbara Akber Jah, Santosh Nagar to Makkah Masjid received a jolt, when the descendants of Nawab Akber Jah objected the move and stopped shifting of black marble bench. However with the efforts of Makkah Masjid Superintendent Abdul Qadeer Siddiqui the matter was resolved and it is likely that the officials of Archaeological Survey of India will shift the bench to Makkah Masjid on Thursday.

The takht is believed to be more than 200 years old and is now lying amid debris at an isolated spot near the Maqbara Akbar Jah Bahadur in Santoshnagar. According to historians, it was ordered to be made by Karamat Ali Khan alias Akbar Jah Bahadur, son of the fifth Nizam, Afzaluddaula. It measures 6×3 feet and is made of black marble stone. Its four legs are fancily designed. The property belongs to the Awqaf Committee H E H the Nizam.

According to sources secretary Awqaf Committee HEH the Nizam sent a letter to Additional Deputy Commissioner South Zone informing him that the Awqaf Committee has given nod to install the black marble bench at historical Makkah Masjid in anticipation that some persons may damage the marble bench or sell the antique piece.
To put the plan into practice Makkah Masjid superintendent, along with his team, reached Maqbara Akber Jah Santoshnagar but descendants of Nawab Akber Jah, Mir Hasan Ali Khan, Mir Majid Ali Khan, Mir Mubashir Ali Khan and others objected the move and stopped shifting. However later they agreed to Awqaf Committee’s decision keeping in view the safeguard of an exquisitely beautiful antique piece.

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