Open Daily 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
- Fort Rd, Toli Chowki, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500008, India
- Visit
Within the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park lies a cluster of 21 smaller tombs, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Likely housing the remains of nobles, ministers, and possibly royal family members, these one-story structures, while smaller than the more prominent tombs, are equally significant and showcase the exquisite artistry of Qutb Shahi architecture.
Conservation of these monuments follows the same processes as the major monuments, including removal of modern cement and plaster layers, restoration of surfaces that had deteriorated due to dampness and water seepage, restoration of ornamental lime patterns and profiles, stitching cracks in stone by grouting using traditional lime mortar and additives, reconstructing missing masonry, grading of earth around the monuments, and paving of the plinth and immediate surroundings.
As with most monuments at the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, several of the smaller tombs had their terraces covered with 20th-century cement. This had to be carefully dismantled before traditional lime concrete was laid in an appropriate slope to ensure prope
Water spouts, made in stone or metal, were meticulously hand-crafted and installed on several monuments to mitigate rainwater ingress into the monument.
Cement layers were also meticulously removed from the façades and domes of all the monuments. In some instances, this process revealed original detailing hidden underneath, which was then skillfully restored by master craftsmen using traditional tools and materials.
One notable example is a smaller tomb in the south-west portion of the necropolis, where the removal of modern cement uncovered original patterns. These were carefully restored by artisans where portions had gone missing over time.
Within the necropolis, there are 133 open graves alongside 40 domed mausoleums, with funerary mosques built nearby for families to pray for the deceased.
