Hyderabad

Save the Charminar

A piece from one of the minarets of the Charminar crumbled and fell down on Wednesday night. This comes even as the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project has been trying to restore the 428-year-old monument and the area around it to its days of pristine glory.


This is not the first time the Charminar has seen pieces falling off. In August 2010, after heavy rains in the city, a portion of the monument fell off. A large chunk fell off in 2001 as well. 


“It must be due to mismatch in the material used in the restoration work,” says Mohammed Safiullah, historian and member of the Deccan Heritage Trust. “Earlier work at the monument has been shoddy and it is only now that the Archaelogical Survey of India is doing some splendid work with the Charminar.”


A couple of years ago, there was concern over the cracks that has appeared in the monument and experts were called to assess the damage. The opinion was that the cracks may have appeared due to water seepage making the limestone mortar structure brittle. 


Experts point to the need to sanitise the monument and take better care.
“You will be shocked to see how tourists have damaged the monument, pulled out the plaster with pointed objects to write their names on the walls. If you are looking for a World Heritage tag for the Charminar, you need to get rid of a whole lot of stuff inside and around the monument including the temple that has come up there,” says Safiullah.


In contrast, the Qutb Shahi tombs which are being restored, have a better chance of bagging a heritage tag. 


(Photos courtesy : Deccan Heritage Trust)

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1 reply »

  1. As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum….
    Thanks to Janab Kaapi Sir & Dr. Mohammed Safiullah Sahab for briefing us on the history. The Tombs photo looks beautiful after ASI took it’s restoration.
    Thanks to Deccan Heritage Trust.
    With Regards,

    Mohammed Ismail Ali
    Email: [email protected]
    Facilities Operations Management
    🇮🇳 I N D I A 🇮🇳

    Like

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