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, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It is located near

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 ...

. 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 ...

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 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 ...

'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 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 ...

(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