Golconda Fort

Golconda was the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty between 1518 and 1687, when Aurangzeb's eight-month siege ended both the dynasty and the fort's status as a working seat of power. Before that, the city's diamond trade was world-famous: the Koh-i-Noor, Hope Diamond, Daria-i-Noor, and Regent Diamond all passed through Golconda's bazaars, mined from the alluvial deposits along the nearby Krishna river. The fort itself is a four-tier complex on a 120-metre granite hill. The outer wall is 11 km in circumference with 87 semi-circular bastions. The famous acoustics of Golconda — a hand-clap at the entrance Fateh Darwaza is audible at the highest pavilion 1 km away — were a security feature, used to alert the sultan to visitors. The Bala Hisar pavilion on top still gives a 360° view of Hyderabad's expanded skyline. The Qutb Shahi tombs north-west of the fort are an under-visited counterpart: granite-and-stucco mausoleums of the seven sultans set in formal gardens, built between 1543 and 1672. The two sites are best done together over a long morning. Avoid visiting on a hot afternoon — the climb to the top pavilion is exposed and unshaded.