Ashoorkhanas in dire need of repair

Darushifa: Two ashoorkhanas, Aza Khana Zehra Darulshifa and Alawa-e-Sartauq Mubarak are famous not just for the following but also for their architectural style. The former built in 1930 by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, in memory of his mother Amtul Zehra Begum. It was designed by the architect Zain Yar Jang. The last time it was repaired in 2008 but after that there have been no attempts. On the rear side of the structure, the walls are badly damaged and can collapse anytime.

Inside the ashoorkhana there are no doors for the washroom. What is worrisome is there is no security guard for one of the oldest ashoorkhanas in the city rues Rahman a resident of Darushifa.

Just a stone’s throw is the Alawa-e-Sartauq Mubarak another famous ashoorkhana in Hyderabad. It is situated in Darulshifa area and named after the great Unani Hospital of the Qutub Shahi period. The building was constructed by the VII Nizam – Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII in 1938.

Beside the ashoorkhana are old houses and the walls of the ashoorkhana are so weak that they may collapse endangering peoples’ lives. Both the ashoorkhanas come under the Nizam Trust. Several attempts to contact the trust members proved futile. Locals say that people in this part of the city have great reverence for these ashoorkhanas and both are a part of the glorious Asafjahi dynasty.

By MM Farooqui