Like Bijapur, further to the west in neighboring Karnataka state, Hyderabad is an important centre of Islamic culture and offers central India's counterpart to the Moghul splendors of the northern cities of Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. Consisting of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, It is the capital of Andhra Pradesh state and famous as the former seat of the Nizams of Hyderabad, the last of whom was one of the richest men in the world. Here, lively crowded bazaars surround' huge and impressive Islamic monuments dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. The city India's fifth largest was founded in 1590 by Mohammed Quli, the fourth of the Qutab Shahi kings who ruled this part of the Deccan from 1512 until 1687 when the last of their line was defeated by the Moghul emperor Aurangzeb following suspension of the annual tribute due to their nominal suzerain in Delhi. Before the founding of Hyderabad, the Qutab Shahi kings had ruled from the fortress city of Golconda, 11 km to the west The extensive ruins of this fort, which has roots going back to the earlier Hindu kingdoms of the Yadavas and Kakatiyas, together with the nearby tombs of the Qutab Shahi kings, are the principal attractions of any visit to .Hyderabad.

Following Aurangzeb's death in 1707, Moghul control over this part of India rapidly waned and the viceroys who had been installed to look after the Interests of the empire broke away and established their own independent state taking the title, first, of Subedar and, later, that of Nizam. These new rulers became embroiled in the rivalry between the French and British for control of India during the latter half of the 18th century as allies of the French but, after the defeat of the French and subsequent Maratha raids which seriously weakened their kingdom, they were forced to conclude a treaty with the British and relinquish the bulk of their power. When independence came to India in 1947, the Nizam toyed with the idea of declaring independence and went so far as to allow an Islamic extremist group to seize control. This however led to his downfall as the Indian government, mindful of Hyderabad's Hindu majority of around 85% and unwilling to see the creation of an independent and possibly hostile state in the centre of the Deccan, used the insurrection as an excuse to occupy Hyderabad in 1948 and force its accession to the Union.

This dusty city retains much of its 19th century atmosphere and is quite unlike any of the cities further south. Lovers of graffiti should make a point of visiting Osmania University where every available square inch of stone and brickwork is plastered with political slogans. Though this is fairly common in many Indian cities, nothing quite so extreme as this can be seen anywhere 1 else.