AKTC to Maintain Qutb Shahi Heritage Park

Hyderabad:In a move to improve upkeep and tourist footfall, the state government has decided to handover the Qutb Shahi heritage park operations to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) under the public-private partnership (PPP) model from August 1.

The pilot PPP project for the state protected monument is aimed at better scientific conservation, landscape upkeep, visitor management and sustainable heritage tourism.

The initiative is expected to preserve the internationally recognised conservation standards established during the restoration phase, strengthening Hyderabad’s position as a leading cultural tourism destination.

As the park is spread across several acres it is not being managed effectively now, said heritage department officials. A similar model will be considered for the development and maintenance of other forts and heritage sites in the state. More than 100 monuments have been restored over the past decade in the country.

Heritage department director Prof. Arjun Rao Kuthadi said the AKTC, which earlier undertook restoration works, would now engage in maintaining the park, ensuring scientific conservation, landscape upkeep, visitor management and sustainable heritage tourism.

The new initiative follows successful completion of the conservation program that transformed the Qutb Shahi heritage park into one of India’s largest and most acclaimed heritage restoration projects. The AKTC, in collaboration with the heritage department and Quli Qutb Shah urban development authority, undertook the restoration as per an agreement signed in January 2013.

Spread across 108 acres at the foot of Golconda fort, the heritage park comprises over 40 royal mausoleums, 23 funerary mosques, six stepwells, a hammam, pavilions and historic garden structures.

The restoration project was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Prince Rahim Aga Khan in July 2024.