Hyderabad: After the Ramappa Temple, Telangana might have another entry on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the form of the historic Qutb Shahi Tombs. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in partnership with Heritage Telangana, and co-funding by the Tata Trusts, has been working tirelessly to restore the structures at the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex to their past grandeur.
Having successfully conserved several monuments on the premises already, the team is hopeful that once the entire restoration project is completed, they can begin the efforts to get the site recognised by UNESCO. “There are three major aspects that UNESCO looks into when giving them a World Heritage tag —protection of the site, its conservation and the international importance of the site,” shares Ratish Nanda, Chief Executive, Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Sharing details of the restoration at the tombs that might help the site get a World Heritage tag, he said the tombs complex was a ‘pretty unique’ site.
“The premises house a total of 80 monuments, including 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, seven baolis (step-wells), a hamam, pavilions, tanks, wells, garden structures and enclosure walls. To maintain the grandeur of each of the structures, and respecting the UNESCO emphasis to retain the authenticity of the monument, all the work is being carried out by master craftsmen working with stone and lime,” Nanda said on Monday.
However, the process can take some time. “We completed the first phase of the conservation long back in 2018, which required significant earth movements to restore original ground levels around the monument. The first phase included emergency repair works on the structure such as ‘Badi Baoli’ and Fatima’s Tomb and conservation works on structures on the southwest quadrant such as the grand mausoleum of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. The second phase and third phase include work on and around tombs of Muhammad Qutb Shah, Hakims and the Commander, Premamati and Taramati, Hayat Bakshi Begum, Great mosque, present entrance zone and Abdullah Qutb Shah’s mausoleum,” he said.
“It will take time for us to complete all the work as we do not intend to compromise on the quality of our work. The restoration work undertaken here is not just to beautify the monuments, but to strengthen the structures on the premises,” Nanda said, adding that once the work was over, the World Heritage site tag would be next on the agenda.
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