The fort of Golconda gained fame in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when it was the capital of the Qutab Shahi dynasty (c. 1495–1687), but despite its legendary status, many aspects of the fort’s physical development remain uncharted. It is known that it existed before the Qutab Shahi's occupied it, that it was developed greatly during the years it served as their capital, and that it then became essentially abandoned after their defeat by the Mughals of Delhi in 1687, but the major turning points and key developments between these landmark dates have yet to be identified and discussed. Through the visual comparison of remains from several sites in the Deccan, this article attempts to identify and date the earliest phase of Golconda’s development, prior to its adoption as the Qutab Shahi capital. It thereby adds another example to the corpus of medieval Indian forts, providing more data to this subject in need of further study. It also highlights the importance of these early foundations, which remained the heart of the city in the later development of the fort as the capital of the Qutab Shahi's.

Mughal-Library