Hyderabad Gulzar Houz

Gulzar Houz is a octagonal-shaped fountain with a five-feet central fountain with three saucers and a four feet pedestal has a lamp post located at Gulzar Houz Chowk, near Charminar in the Old City, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

The Gulzar Houz was built as Hyderabad’s foundational monument in 1591 by Mohd Quli Qutb Shah, the city’s founder. The Gulzar Houz was originally called ‘Char Su Ka Houz’ (fountain of the four sides) and was built as a drinking water fountain for locals of the city.

However, after the destruction of Hyderabad in 1687 by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and subsequently
with the Nizams coming in (1724) as governors of the Decan, changes were made to Gular Houz. The old massive structure was eventually broken down to what it is today.

After the completion of Charminar, at about 75 metres feet to its north, four lofty arches known as Char Kaman were built in 1592. All four arches are at equidistant with each other with Gulzar Houz in the Centre. These arches were built by Sultan Muhammad Quli. (Kamaan meaning Arches). These Kamaans are the Kali Kamaan, Machli Kamaan, Seher-e-Batil ki Kamaan and Charminar Kamaan.

At the center of these arches a fountain, octagonal in shape, with 4 channels dividing each road into 2 parts was built by Mir Momin Astarabadi, the first prime minister under Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah.

The 4 channels were called Char Su Ka—”The Cistern of the four directions,” and these channels symbolized the 4 canals in Jannat -“Heaven”.Canals of Pure Water,
Canals of Pure Milk,
Canals of Pure Honey
Canals of Pure Wine.

This fountain with four streams flowing through it, was built to quench the thirst of the soldiers.

Today, that octagonal fountain has become round and the name Char Su Ka over time was later known as “Suka-Hauz” and then was called “Gulzar Houz”.

Renovation
Oct 4 : Gulzar Houz is ready for Inauguration was renovated at a cost of Rs 29.50 lakh. The Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) had hired a firm, Deccan Terrain Heritage, with expertise in heritage conservation works to reconstruct the 400-year-old fountain dating back to the Qutb Shahi era.






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