We visited Charminar yesterday. Charminar (which means "four spires" in Urdu/Hindi) can be considered Hyderabad's equivalent of Seattle's Space Needle or NYC's Statue of Liberty. "L's" uncle, aunt, and cousin drove us there in their mini-van. The women split off to shop in the endless bazaars, while Uncle and I toured the nearby Mecca Masjid (mosque) and Charminar itself. There's nothing I could write about these places that could be said better than the links provided above. They're both large, impressive, albeit detriorating structures.
Uncle and I went to Mecca Masjid just as noon prayers were ending. We walked around the massive courtyard. Off to the side were tombs of revered Muslim rulers. A sign near the mosque entrance read "OUT SIDER NOT ALLOWED". Assuming this meant us, we stayed outside, taking pics of the inside from the entrance.
Admission into Charminar --- 5 rupees for locals, 100 rupees for foreigners. India's not the first country I've encountered such an opportunistic entrance-fee structure.Speaking of foreigners, there aren't that many around Hyderabad. Uncle said Hyderabad is more homogenous and less multi-cultural compared to Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi. That may change in years to come, as Hyderabad attracts more foreign tech companies.
A old, narrow, steep, stone spiral staircase led us to the first level of Charminar. That was as high as we were allowed to go. At the first level, the wall along the edge stood only a couple feet high, creating a nervously precarious feeling as we walked around. The best view was seeing the busy marketplace below with the Mecca Masjid in the background.
