Long before traffic junctions replaced gateways and flyovers cut through history, Hyderabad was a walled city, carefully planned and fiercely protected. Surrounding the Old City stood massive stone walls punctuated by grand gates that controlled entry, ensured security, and subtly shaped the city’s rhythm of life.
Founded in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, Hyderabad was envisioned as a fortified capital. While Charminar became its symbolic centre, it was the ‘darwazas’ that defined its physical boundaries. These gateways were not merely architectural elements; they were checkpoints of trade, defence posts, and markers of neighbourhood identity.
A city once sealed at sunset
Historical records suggest that Hyderabad had 13 major darwazas, along with several smaller entrances known as khidkis. Built mainly during the Qutb Shahi period and later strengthened under the Asaf Jahi rulers, these gates were shut at night and opened at dawn. Armed guards monitored movement, travellers rested in nearby sarais, and goods entering the city were taxed and recorded.
Each gate led to a specific direction or settlement, slowly giving rise to the neighbourhoods we recognise today, like Yakutpura, Dabeerpura, Gowlipura, Chaderghat, Doodhbowli and Lal Darwaza, among others. Over time, the gates lent their names to entire localities, even after the structures themselves disappeared.
The 13 gates of old Hyderabad
Among the most historically documented darwazas were —
Purana Pul Darwaza
Dabeerpura Darwaza
Aliabad Darwaza
Champa Darwaza
Fateh Darwaza
Dilli Darwaza
Gowlipura Darwaza
Yakutpura Darwaza
Mir Jumla Darwaza
Chaderghat Darwaza
Doodhbowli Darwaza
Lal Darwaza
Afzal Darwaza was the last gate to be added in the 19th century, following the construction of Nayapul.
While some gates were known for their strategic importance, others functioned as commercial entry points, witnessing the daily flow of traders, artisans and travellers from distant regions.
The doors or windows of Hyderabad were: Borah Khidki, Mir Jumla Khidki, Matha-ki-Khidki, Rangeli Khidki, Bhodla Khidki, Darulshifa Khidki, Kalala Khidki, Dhobi Khidki, Hasan Ali Khidki, Champa Khidki, Char Mahal Khidki, Doodbowli Khidi and Kahar Khidki.
What remains today
Of the original 13, only two darwazas survive today- Purana Pul Darwaza and Dabeerpura Darwaza.
The Purana Pul Darwaza, located near the historic bridge across the Musi, stands as a quiet reminder of Hyderabad’s earliest expansion beyond Golconda. The Dabeerpura Darwaza, arguably the most intact, still displays its stone bastions and arched form, though hemmed in by modern development.
The rest were gradually demolished, some after the 1908 Musi floods, others during post-Independence road-widening drives in the 1950s and 60s, when heritage often gave way to infrastructure.
In a city racing towards the future, the darwazas offer a glimpse into Hyderabad’s urban intelligence, a time when cities were designed to be walkable, secure and community-oriented. Their disappearance raises larger questions about heritage conservation, memory, and what a city chooses to preserve.
As neighbourhoods continue to carry the names of gates that no longer exist, these gates live on, in language, in local identity, and in stories passed down through generations.
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