The City Museum, an extension of the Nizam's Museum at Purani Haveli, was thrown open to the public on Monday offering a riveting slice of history to its visitors... More at the official Website http://www.hehnmh.com/city-museum - Hear Muffakham Jah, at this inauguration.
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Itishree Samal / Hyderabad Mar 25, 2012
Hau (yes), nakko (no) and kaiku (why), are words still widely used by Hyderabadis. The words may sound like Bambaiyya Hindi but they are in fact Deccani Urdu. Not many locals will know the story of their own tongue. Deccani Urdu is a mix of Persian, Turkish Arabic, Khari Boli, Sanskrit and Punjabi, later influenced by Marathi. You would know this if you visited Hyderabad’s new City Museum.
It is an initiative of the Nizam’s Jubilee Pavilion Trust, a non-profit formed in 1957. “The Trust came up with the idea of a City Museum for tourists to acquaint themselves with the history and cultural heritage of the city,” says chairman (Prince) Muffakham Jah.
Documented history says a city first arose here when Golconda fort was built by the Kakatiya kings (11th-14th centuries CE). Modern Hyderabad began as a garden suburb outside Golconda, built by a Qutb Shahi sultan in 1591. A century later the Mughals took over, and after them the Asaf Jahs ruled Hyderabad until Independence. Under the Asaf Jahs the city grew rich trading diamonds, pearls and handicrafts.
But Hyderabad is much older than this history suggests. In 2004, ancient objects were dug up in the IT suburb of Gachibowli. “Few Hyderabadis may know that 4,000 years ago the entire area of the city was inhabited,” says Jah. Jah is the grandson of the last Nizam. “The Museum is all about the city, its people, their creations, achievements and lifestyle.”