Hyderabad: Heritage structures to get facelift soon

Charminar: After having a dark picture of apathy and negligence for years, the two overlooked heritage structures in the city of Nizams — Sardar Mahal near Charminar and Nampally Sulah Sarai will soon get a makeover to be returned to past glory. Civic body Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is planning to restore both the buildings in one go as part of the MA&UD's (Municipal Administration and Urban Development) efforts to safeguard heritage structures in the City.

These buildings have been lying neglected for a long time and were about to collapse. In 2019, two people were injured after the roof of the second floor of 100-year-old Nampally Sarai collapsed.

But thanks to the latest intervention GHMC, which came forward to rescue of both the structures. Hyderabadis will soon witness these structures as a heritage hotel and a museum. The entire restoration works will be headed by the Principal Secretary (MA&UD), Arvind Kumar, who adopted and successfully gave a new avatar to the historic Moazzam Jahi Market.

Speaking to The Hans India, Arvind Kumar said "Nampally Sarai referred as Sulah Sarai means a peaceful resting place. It is almost completely dilapidated. To restore it, the conservation architect had drawn the plan and the department is trying its best to restore the original 52 rooms of the Sarai and we are planning to have it done as a heritage hotel and will be tying up with a reported chain for management."

Explaining about the restoration works of Sardar Mahal, a palace built by the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, and later converted into the GHMC south zone office, Arvind Kumar informed that, "We will restore and have a tie-up with an agency to manage the building as a museum. Artist studios will be utilised as an open location for organising cultural programmes. Heritage walks will be held, and a café will also be set up."

History of places

The Nampally Sarai which is spread over an area of 5,828 square yards was built by the Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad in 1919 in memory of the First World War treaty.

It was used as a state guest house after independence but due to lack of maintenance, the structure became weak. There was an attempt to demolish it in 2002 but with the uproar from heritage activists, the structure was saved but not restored.

During his reign, from 1869 to 1911, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, who was the richest man in the world, also built a palace Sardar Mahal in European style structure in 1900. He dedicated the palace to one of his wife Sardar Begum. Interestingly, the civic body took the Sardar Mahal in 1965. Since then the structure was declared as a heritage building by the Heritage Conservation Committee.