Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah,the 5th Qutub Shahi ruler built Charminar in 1591 shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golkonda to what now is known as Hyderabad. He built this famous structure to commemorate the elimination of a plague epidemic from this city. He is said to have prayed for the end of a plague that was ravaging his city and vowed to build a masjid at the very place where he was praying. The Mosque became popularly known as Charminar because of its four (Farsi and Urdu char = four) minarets (Minar (Arabic manara) = spire/tower), which was possibly was to honour the first four caliphs of Islam.

Before the advent of Hyderabad, Deccan was ruled from Golconda fort. It was earlier established by the Kakatiya's in the 13th century and the existing structure was constructed by the Qutub Shahi kings. It was renovated by the first three Qutub Shahi kings, over a span of 62 years.

Golconda is also known as Shepherd's Hill" or "Golla Konda", in Telugu. According to a legend, a shepherd boy found an idol on the rocky hill called 'Mangalavaram'. This news reached the Kakatiya king, who was then ruling Golconda.

Nehru Zoological Park is the largest zoo in the city, located near Mir Alam Tank in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. It was established in 1963 and named after the first prime minister of the country, Jawaharlal Nehru.

            It is spread over an area of 300 acres (approx. 1.2 km²) and has a wide selection of animals - nearly 1,500 species of birds, animals and reptiles are housed here. The zoo runs different safari trips every day, such as Lion Safari, Tiger Safari, Bear Safari, and Butterfly Safari. Other attractions include elephant rides, a natural history museum, and a children's train.