Hayat Bakshi Mosque, Indo-Islamic mosque in Hayathnagar, Hyderabad, India.
Hayat Bakshi Mosque is an Indo-Islamic mosque in Hyderabad, India, with five arches across its front facade and two minarets flanking the main structure. The complex also includes twelve-sided arcaded galleries at its corners and an adjoining caravanserai with several rooms arranged around the grounds.
The mosque was built in 1672 under the rule of Abdullah Qutb Shah, one of the last sultans of the Golconda Sultanate. It was among the final major building projects of that dynasty, completed just a few years before the Mughals conquered the region.
The name of this place of worship honors Hayat Bakshi Begum, a queen of the Golconda Sultanate known as a patron of religious buildings. Visitors can see how the space continues to be used for daily prayer, with separate areas clearly set apart for men and women.
The building stands on elevated ground, so visitors should expect a few steps at the entrance. The complex covers a wide area with several distinct sections, so it is worth setting aside enough time to walk through all of them.
Although the mosque bears the name of Hayat Bakshi Begum, she was never a ruling queen herself but the daughter of one sultan and the mother of another. The five domes of the building each display different decorative patterns, suggesting that separate groups of craftsmen worked on different parts of the structure.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
