THE Hyderabad Fort, commonly known as Pucca Qila, does not seem to go much in antiquity though the city itself can claim its origin in the remote past.
Once a seat of the rulers of Sindh, Hyderabad is now the fourth most populous city of Pakistan. According to legends, it was some sort of a place of worship located on the nearby Ganjo Takar Hill during ancient times. Arguably, it has also been identified with the capital town then known as Nerun Kot, which was trampled by the young Arab General Muhammad bin Qasim, in the early second decade of the eighth century. He is said to have built here a mosque at the site of a Buddhist Stupa, though no traces of it can now be found.
In the later part of the 17th Century, Hyder Quli Arghun is said to have laid the foundations of Hyderabad at the site of Nerun Kot. Tarikh-e-Sindh of Ghulam Rasul Maher mentions that the forefathers of the Kalhoras came to Sindh from Iraq and settled at Nerun (Hyderabad) during the rule of the Mu’tasam Billah. However, when the Kalhoras came to power in Sindh, they are said to have shifted their capital seven times, using the cities of Khudabad, Mamudabad, Ahmadabad, Khanot, Shahpur and Shahgarh finally settling at Hyderabad.
When Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhora decided to abandon Khudabad, possibly due to shifting away of the River Indus, he chose the place at the Ganjo Takar as his new capital. Here he ordered the construction of a new fort and designated it as Hyderabad after the name of the fourth Pious Caliph, Hadhrat Ali. It was built on a plateau that was about 3.25 kilometres long. The southern part of the fort has its outer wall supported by the perpendicular elevation of the plateau, thus furthering its strength and impregnability.
The location of the fort, overlooking the surrounding areas, adds to its strategic importance and is enough to overawe any army designing to invade or lay siege to it. Its construction work was supervised by Mirza Ahmad Khurasani, a renowned architect of the time. Some historians say that Ustad (Master) Shafi Muhammad Multani was among the artisans who was involved in the construction work.
The inscription on the stone fixed at the main gate bears the date of its foundation as AH1182, corresponding to AD1769. There is also an Arabic supplication, which is of a verse from the Holy Quran (Surah 14, Ayah 35), which translates into English as ‘O my Lord, make this city one of peace and security’. There are also other inscriptions from the Holy Quran which are followed by the statement that it was built by Mian Ghulam Shah Khan, son of Mian Noor Muhammad son of Mian Naseer Muhammad.
The fortification wall rises to over 12 to 15 metres and runs over a circumference of more than 2.5 kilometres. The longest part of the fort, from east to west, is a little over 740 metres while the widest point measures 274 metres from north to south. It is all built in baked clay bricks, varying in texture and size depending on the period of their use or subsequent repairs. The thickness of the wall varies at different points and different heights. The wall is supported by semi-circular bastions only in its northern length.
The fort had only one access provided on the northern side, facing the Shahi Bazaar. The gate was named as Shahi Darwazo or the Royal Gate, and above its arch it has the aforementioned stone inscription. The gate was decorated profusely. On the outer side the thick wooden leaves had strong iron spikes to guard against any eventuality of breaking open by force in an invasion.
Among the buildings inside the fort included the Diwan-e-Khas. It was built by Mir Naseer Khan for holding his court. The walls and the ceiling of the building were profusely decorated with fresco paintings. The other building, known as Diwan-e-Aam, is also built by its side almost in front of the Shahi Gate.
Mir Murad Ali Khan, the ruler of the Talpur dynasty, had established a mint in the fort. It was also located inside the Shahi Gate and minted gold, silver and copper coins of the rulers of the Talpur dynasty. It ceased to work with the fall of Sindh to the British.
After serving as seat of the government of the Kalhoras, Hyderabad continued to serve as the capital of the Mirs’ Hyderabad faction. During, these periods it was used as a stronghold-cum-palace. When the Mirs were defeated at the hands of the British in the battle of Miani, in 1843 AC, they fled to the safety of the Hyderabad Fort and closed its door but only to surrender the following day.
Of the original structure, there now remains some portions of the fortification walls and the bastions. The Mirs’ harem of the Kalhora period is also there, though in a pathetic condition. The building, which was very beautifully decorated with fresco paintings, has remained in the possession of the law enforcement agencies whose members have had least concern for the preservation of the place. Almost all of the original structure was destroyed during the siege of the fort by the British Artillery. Afterwards, in 1857, the British cleared most of the remaining buildings to accommodate the troops of the occupying force. The explosion caused to the stored explosives inside the Fort in 1906 also devastated the buildings, which might have survived the earlier onslaughts.
The large influx of immigrants from India, on the eve of the emergence of independent Pakistan in 1947, badly mutilated the remaining features and the fort became a large area of slums. It is also heavily encroached upon, along its periphery wall, by smalltime businesses with shabby shops completely blocking any effort on its conservation. The lack of proper drainage with mushroom growth of the houses and their toilets/bathroom virtually dug into or placed over the defence wall has affected the stability of this huge structure. It is no wonder then that one hears of big chunks of wall giving way frequently after the rains. The standing portions of this fortification also clearly show the effects of the very harmful seepage of water into its core. Something would have to be done at the highest level against its decay, due mainly to manmade situations, if such an important monument has to be saved for posterity.
THE Hyderabad Fort, commonly known as Pucca Qila, does not seem to go much in antiquity though the city itself can claim its origin in the remote past.
