Dar-ul-Shifa house of health | |
|---|---|
neighbourhood | |
 | |
  Dar-ul-Shifa Location in Hyderabad, Telangana, India Show map of Hyderabad Dar-ul-Shifa Dar-ul-Shifa (Telangana) Show map of Telangana Dar-ul-Shifa Dar-ul-Shifa (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:17°22′13″N78°28′54″E / 17.3702657°N 78.481669°E /17.3702657; 78.481669 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Telangana |
| District | Hyderabad |
| Metro | Hyderabad |
| Established | 1591; 435 years ago (1591) |
| Founded by | Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah |
| Named after | The hospital built here in 1591; 435 years ago (1591) |
| Government | |
| • Body | GHMC |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu,Urdu |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 500024 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Hyderabad |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Charminar |
| Planning agency | GHMC |
Dar-ul-Shifa is a neighbourhood in theOld City of Hyderabad,India,[1] named after the 16th-century hospital it once housed. The location was founded in AD 1591, more than 400 years ago, byMohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad city. Today it houses a large population ofShia Muslims and comes alive on the days ofMuharram and Shia festivals. Most of the households have family members settled abroad, whose remittances increase the quality of life.
InArabic, and derived from it inUrdu,Turkish andPersian,dar al-shifa 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 theCharminar monument-cum-mosque and the hugeMakkah Masjid (Mecca Mosque).
Geographically, Dar-ul-Shifa lies in the south of Hyderabad city, on the banks ofRiver Musi. It lies under theCharminar Assembly Constituency. Historically it is one of the old urban areas ofHyderabad; now it is part of the Old City of Hyderabad.
The area got this name for the hospital built by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah over 400 years ago. Later, during the rule of theNizams, the hospital was moved to another building due to space constraints and the old building was converted into aHussainia called Alawa e-Sartouq. Thealam[definition needed] is made of part of thesartouq, a metal headgear with spikes, which the fourth Shia ImamAli ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin had to put on after being captured byYazid I's forces along with theAhl al-Bayt women. This Hussainia can be visited anytime throughout the year. Currently this building is underH.E.H. the Nizam's Charitable Trust.[2]
Dar-ul-Shifa is surrounded by theMusi River,Noorkhan Bazar,Dabeerpura,Purani Haveli andChatta Bazaar.
Dar-ul-Shifa starts from the new Bridge Mosque, also known as Naya Pul, and the suburbs start from theMasjid Haji Kamal and on the other sideAza Khane Zehra, which was built byHEH, the 7thNizam-Mir Osman Ali Khan.
Dar-ul-Shifa is one of the oldest urban areas ofHyderabad city and was developed in theNizam's period with the extension of Jama Masjid, now beautifully renewed, with a market around the area of the mosque. Here is also a good selection of shops and restaurants.
There are two famous orphanages, namely Dar-ul-Yatama and Zehra boys, which dal under[clarification needed] 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.
Dar-ul-Shifa is connected by buses run byTSRTC. All the RTC buses which head towardsCharminar are routed through Dar-ul-Shifa.
The closestMMTS train station is atDabeerpura. The nearest metro station is MGBS metro station
On May 7, 2019, a fire broke out at the Quli Qutub Shahi Urban Development Authority in Dar-ul-Shifa. 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 the poor condition of the building. After nearly four hours, the fire was contained.[3]
