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The necropolis of noblemen dating from the Asaf Jahi era known as Paigah Tombs Complex in Santosh Nagar is set to be restored with funding by the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
About Paigah Tombs
- Paigah Tombs or Maqhbara Shams al-Umara, are the tombs belonging to the nobility of Paigah family, who were fierce loyalists of the Nizams, served as statespeople, philanthropists and generals under and alongside them.
Source: Wikipedia - The Paigah tombs are among the major wonders of Hyderabad State which known for their architectural excellence as shown in their laid mosaic tiles and craftsmanship work.
- These tombs are made out of lime and mortar with beautiful inlaid marble carvings.
- These tombs are 200 years old which represent the final resting places of several generations of the Paigah Nobles.
- This is one of the most significant architectural sites in Hyderabad. Stucco work like this doesn’t exist anywhere else in India.
- The style of architecture of the Paigah Tombs is an amalgam of Mughal and Moorish styles resulting in a unique synthesis. The crypts, made of lime and mortar, have intricate marble inlay work and stucco reminiscent of Granada and Seville in Spain.
- These tombs are magnificent structures, decorated in stucco work, and represent the Moghal, Greek, Persian, Asaf Jahi, Rajasthani and Deccani style of architecture which are unique specimens of extraordinary artistry that is ardently visible in the wonderfully inlaid mosaic work.
- The geometrical designs in the Paigah Tombs are unique and are perforated with screens with great craftsmanship.
About Asaf Jahi
- The Asaf Jahi was a Muslim dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Hyderabad.
- The family came to India in the late 17th century and became employees of the Mughal Empire. They were great patrons of Persian culture, language, and literature, the family found a ready patronage.
- The dynasty was founded by Mir Qamar-ud-Din Siddiqi, a Viceroy of the Deccan—(administrator of six Mughal governorates) under the Mughal emperors from 1713 to 1721. He intermittently ruled after Aurangzeb’s death in 1707 and under the title Asaf Jah in 1724. The Mughal Empire crumbled and the Viceroy of the Deccan, Asaf Jah I, declared himself independent, whose domain extend from the Narmada river in the North to Trichinopoly in the South and Masulipatnam in the east to Bijapur in the west.
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