Hyderabad: AKTC hopes to manage Qutb Shahi Tombs post restoration

Hyderabad: With the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) managing to pull-off a spectacular job in terms of restoring the historic Qutb Shahi tombs, the question that begs to be answered if the Telangana government will also give a go-ahead to the AKTC to manage the site. If this happens, then it will be perhaps the first time that a non-govenmental organisation will run a massive heritage site.

When contacted AKTC officials however remained tight-lipped on the matter, but said that discussions are being held with the Telangana government to figure out a way to manage the site. Though the Qutb Shahi tombs complex has been restored fully, there is a larger question of regular maintenance and upkeep.

On July 28, 2024, the completion ceremony of historic Qutb Shahi tombs complex was held by the AKTC, which has restored it in association with the Telangana government, and with funds from other organisations. “There is also the issue of revenue generation. As of now the site does not generate enough revenue (for maintenance),” informed an official concerned with the site.

Headed by CEO and conservation architect Ratish Nanda in India, the AKTC has literally changed the face of the Qutb Shahi tombs. From restoration of monuments to landscaping and painstakingly redoing the intricate designs, the Qutb Shahi tombs complex is now probably the best heritage site for both locals and tourists to visit in Hyderabad.

The AKTC in Hyderabad is also currently other heritage sites like the Paigah Tombs and the Baadshahi Ashurkhana in the Old City. The organisation has also restored other major monuments in India like the Humayun’s tomb and Sunder Nursery in New Delhi.

During the completion ceremony, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi asked Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy to consider the proposal by the AKTC to manage the Qutb Shahi tombs. “I remember coming here as a child. I request the chief minister to consider the proposal of the AKTC to maintain the tombs,” stated Owaisi.

The historic site is today becoming a major attraction for tourists thanks to the spectacular restoration carried out by the AKTC. The Qutb Shahi tombs has close to 100 structures, which include tombs, a Hamam (Turkish bath), mosques, gardens and unmarked graves, apart from stepwells.

The Qutb shahi tombs was historically connected to the Golconda fort, which was a walled-city before Hyderabad was founded in 1591. However, today, due to local encroachments on the site, the pathway connecting the fort and the tombs complex has been built upon. The necropolis is the royal necropolis of the Qutb Shahi or Golconda dynasty (1518-1687), which once ruled from the Golconda fort, and later founded Hyderabad in 1591.