Dar-ul-Shifa is one part of the

Old City of Hyderabad The Old City of Hyderabad is a walled city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India, located on the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River built by Qutb Shahi sultan Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 AD. There used to be Wall of Hyderabad, a wal ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, named after the 16th-century hospital it once housed. The location was founded in AD 1591, more than 400 years ago, by

Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (4 April 156511 January 1612) was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda and founded the city of Hyderabad, in South-central India and built its architectural centerpiece, the Charminar. He was an able admi ...

, the founder of Hyderabad city. Todday it houses a large population of

Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

and comes alive on the days of

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...

and Shia festivals. Most of the households have family members settled abroad, and whose remittances increase the quality of life. In

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, and derived from it in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Turkish and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, ''

dar al-shifa A bimaristan (; ), also known as ''dar al-shifa'' (also ''darüşşifa'' in Turkish language, Turkish) or simply maristan, is a hospital in the History of Islam, historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Etymology ''Bimaristan'' is a Persian langu ...

'' means "house of health", i.e. "hospital". The name of the location is derived from the fact that initially the area was popularly known for its hospital. Dar-ul-Shifa Hospital and Jama Masjid were built in the same period as the

Charminar The Charminar () is a mosque and monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana The Charminar's long history includes the existe ...

monument-cum-mosque and the huge Makkah Masjid (Mecca Mosque). Geographically, Dar-ul-Shifa lies in the south of Hyderabad city, on the banks of River Musi. It lies under the Charminar Assembly Constituency. Historically it is one of the old urban areas of

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

; now it is part of the Old City of Hyderabad.

History

The area got this name for the hospital built by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah over 400 years ago. Later, during the rule of the Nizams, due to insufficient space the hospital was moved to another building and the old building was converted into a

Hussainia A ḥosayniya or hussainiya (Arabic: حسينية ''husayniyya''), also known as an ashurkhana, imambargah, or imambara, is a congregation hall for Twelver Shia Muslim commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Mourning of ...

called Alawa e-Sartouq. The ''alam'' is made of part of the ''sartouq'', a metal headgear with spikes, which the fourth Shia Imam

Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ( ar, علي بن الحسين زين العابدين), also known as al-Sajjād (, ) or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (), , was an Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle Hasan ...

had to put on after being captured by

Yazid I Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan ( ar, يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya ibn ʾAbī Sufyān; 64611 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate. He ruled from ...

's forces along with the ladies of

Ahl al-Bayt Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...

. This Hussainia can be visited anytime throughout the year. Currently this building is under H.E.H. the Nizam's Charitable Trust.

Boundaries of Dar-ul-Shifa

Dar-ul-Shifa is surrounded by Musi River,

Noorkhan Bazar The Old City of Hyderabad is a walled city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India, located on the banks of the Musi River built by Qutb Shahi sultan Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 AD. There used to be a wall surrounding the Old City, most of ...

Dabeerpura Dabeerpura is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the Old City area of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is surrounded by Yakutpura, Chanchalguda, Purani Haveli, Noorkhan Bazar, and Azampura. Dabeerpura has one of the original thirteen gateways ca ...

Purani Haveli Purani Haveli also known as Masarrat Mahal palace is a palace located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was the official residence of the Nizam. It was also known as ''Haveli Khadeem'', which means old mansion, was constructed for Sikander Ja ...

and Chatta Bazaar. Darushifa starts from the new Bridge Mosque, also known as Naya Pul, and the suburbs start from the ''Masjid Haji Kamal'' and on the other side Aza Khane Zehra, which was built by HEH, the 7th

Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

Mir Osman Ali Khan Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 — 24 February 1967), was the last Nizam (ruler) of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age of ...

Development and landmarks

Darushifa is one of the oldest urban area of

city and was developed in the

's period with the extension of Jama Masjid. One can find the beautifully renewed Jama Masjid, with a market around the area of the mosque. Here you can find your choice of shops and restaurants, the most famous restaurant being Hussaini Cafe. There are two famous orphanages namely Dar-ul-Yatama and Zehra boys, which dal under (??) for Shia community charitable hostels. Until the 1980s, the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation head office was located in Dar-ul-Shifa, currently it is serving as Quli Qutub Shahi Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) head office.

Transport

Dar-u-Shifa is connected by buses run by

TSRTC Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (abbreviated as TSRTC) is a state-owned corporation that runs bus transport services to and from the Indian state of Telangana. It was formed in 2014 by splitting the Andhra Pradesh State Road Trans ...

. All the RTC buses which head towards

rout thru Dar-ul-Shifa. The closest MMTS train station is at

Fire incident at QQSUDA

On May 7, 2019 , a fire broke out at the Quli Qutub Shahi Urban Development Authority in Darulshifa. The fire, which broke out at around 4 pm on Monday, started at the record room that is on the first floor of the GHMC-owned building.The fire officials found it difficult to control the fire due to poor condition of the building .After nearly four hours , the fire was contained .

References

{{Neighbourhoods of Hyderabad Neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, India Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India Hospitals in Telangana Hospitals in Hyderabad, India