Four centuries, two cities in one.
Hyderabad is a city with a particularly sharp dual identity — old and new, not just coexisting but separated by geography. The Old City, on the southern bank of the Musi River, carries the architectural and cultural legacy of the Qutb Shahi sultans who founded it in 1591 and the Nizams who ruled it for two centuries after them. Across the river and stretching west, the HITEC City and Gachibowli corridor represents one of India's most significant technology hubs — a landscape of glass towers, global campuses, and research parks that has taken shape largely since 1998.
The heritage city — Charminar, Nizams, and Falaknuma Palace
Hyderabad's founding moment is usually dated to 1591, when Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah built the Charminar — a four-minaret mosque-archway that served as the centrepiece of a carefully planned city layout — on the banks of the Musi River. The Qutb Shahi dynasty gave way to Mughal control in 1687, which in turn gave way to the Asaf Jahi dynasty (the Nizams) in 1724. The Nizams' rule lasted until 1948 — through British protectorate status, Indian independence in 1947, and finally Operation Polo and integration into the Indian Union. Their architectural legacy is substantial: Falaknuma Palace, Chowmahalla Palace, Osmania University, the Public Gardens, and much else besides.
The views from Falaknuma Palace — built in 1894 by Nawab Viqar-ul-Umra, later acquired by the sixth Nizam, now managed as a heritage hotel by the Taj Group — offer a panorama over the Old City that connects the historical cityscape with the modern one extending in the distance.
Cyberabad — Gachibowli, Madhapur, and the IT corridor
HITEC City was inaugurated in November 1998, and what followed over the next two decades transformed Hyderabad's western and northwestern zones into one of India's primary technology hubs. The Gachibowli and Madhapur neighbourhoods, along with HITEC City itself, now house campuses for Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and scores of other global companies, alongside research institutions and residential development that has grown up to serve the tech economy. Durgam Cheruvu — a natural lake within the Madhapur area — sits as a preserved natural space among the towers.
Falaknuma Palace
Built 1894, acquired by the Nizams, now a Taj heritage hotel with panoramic views over the Old City.
Gachibowli
The western IT hub, home to major global tech campuses including Microsoft and Google.
Madhapur / HITEC City
Hyderabad's IT corridor inaugurated 1998, with tech parks, apartments, and Durgam Cheruvu lake.
Durgam Cheruvu
A natural lake within the Madhapur IT area, set among Deccan Plateau rock formations.
Transport
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and the city's train stations connect Hyderabad to the rest of India.
Apartments & Skyline
The residential towers of Madhapur reflect the scale of growth driven by the tech economy since the 1990s.
Photography note: The photographs in this gallery cover both faces of Hyderabad — views from Falaknuma Palace looking over the historic Old City, and the glass-and-steel landscape of the Gachibowli and Madhapur IT corridor. The named images in the gallery (Falaknuma Palace, Gachibowli, Madhapur, Durgam Cheruvu, Microsoft campus, airport, train station) appear alongside the numbered general city views.
