Afzal Darwaza was one of the 13 gates to the walled city of Hyderabad and where
soldiers kept a watch on people entering and exiting the city. It was the last
gate to be built, with its construction necessitated by the building of a new
bridge (Nayapul) across river Musi at Afzal Gunj.
Rare Old Photo of Afzal Darwaza, Hyderabad (Deccan) City Gate, Telangana, India (1888)
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| Rare Old Photo of Afzal Darwaza, Hyderabad (Deccan) City Gate, Telangana, India (1888) |
The Afzal darwaza, along with
Nayapul and the Afzalgunj mosque, was constructed by the Nizam V Mir Tahniyath
Ali Khan, better known as Afzalud-Dowla. The bridge served two purposes, as a
new road access for civilians and an access control for the ruler to keep tabs
on the movement of his prime minister and the British Resident. According to
historians, the Afzal Darwaza was the entry and exit gate used by VVIPs.
Archival data reveals that Afzal Darwaza was constructed during 1859-1861. The
Afzalgunj mosque was built a few years later. Incidentally, the Nizam V also
renovated the Char Kaman (four arches leading to Charminar) in 1858. The arches
were built in 1595 by the Qutb Shahi rulers. Though the city had 13 gates, Afzal
Darwaza was the star attraction as it stood majestically with huge arch, an
imposing tower and watch towers on either side.
Afzal Darwaza was part of the
grand wall surrounding the city and extending from Chadarghat to Dabeerpura.The
wall was rough, but strong and had provision for soldiers to walk on it. The
work on the wall began soon after the Asaf Jah rule began in 1671. A part of the
wall was demolished during the regime of the Nizam VI, and later demolished
completely by the government after independence in 1954.
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 City Gate, Telangana, India (1888)){kind=link}
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