Gulzar Houz is a historical fountain located in

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 ...

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 ...

. It is located near Charminar. The fountain is in the middle of the road between Charminar and Madina building. The area between the four arches of Charkaman was a vast square called ''Jilu Khana'' or the ''Guard's Square''. In the centre of the square was the ''Char-Su-Ka-Hauz'' (the

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

of four cardinal points). This was later known as "Suka-Hauz" and now Gulzar Houz. This was built 350 feet equidistant from the four kamaans surrounding it. Initially it was 12 sided then it turned octagonal and today it looks almost circular. It was an octagonal shaped water reservoir made for quenching the thirst of the Nizam's soldiers. At that time, there were four streams flowing from this fountain, dividing each of the Radial roads into two halves. It was constructed by Mir Momin Astarabadi , the first prime minister under Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah (5th Sultan of Qutb shahi dynasty) around 400 years ago.

References

{{Neighbourhoods of Hyderabad Hyderabad State Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India Neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, India Fountains in Hyderabad