Barkas, Hyderabad

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Barkas
India Telangana location map.svg
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Barkas
Location in Telangana, India
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Barkas
Barkas (India)
Coordinates: 17°18′47″N78°28′58″E / 17.31306°N 78.48278°E / 17.31306; 78.48278 Coordinates: 17°18′47″N78°28′58″E / 17.31306°N 78.48278°E / 17.31306; 78.48278
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Telangana
District Hyderabad
Metro Hyderabad
Founded byNizam of Hyderabad
Named for barracks
Government
  Body GHMC
Languages
  Official Telugu, Urdu
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
500 005
Vehicle registration TS
Lok Sabha constituency Hyderabad
Vidhan Sabha constituency Chandrayangutta
Planning agency GHMC
Website telangana.gov.in

Barkas is a neighborhood in Hyderabad, India, located in the old city area of Hyderabad. The name "Barkas" is believed to be derived from the English word "barracks". Before Indian independence, Barkas served as the military Barracks of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Contents

The Chaush were brought from Yemen to work in the former Hyderabad State as military men for the Nizams. It is said that especially when it came to safeguarding Deccan, the 7th Nizam had absolute trust on these Arabs. [1] Another version states that "The name 'Barkas' is derived from 'Wadiya Barkas', which was a colony in Saudi Arabia. A regiment from Barkas in Arabia had been called to Hyderabad. Thus most of the residents of this colony were originally inhabitants of Yemen and Arabia."

History

Before Indian independence, Barkas served as the military Barracks of the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Nizams were surrounded by hostile rulers in the Deccan and chose to employ Arabs instead of the local military for the safeguarding of his family. These Arabs formed the bulk of the Nizams' personal army and were more reliable as they could not defect to the rival states unlike locals and were trustworthy.

Many mentions state that the last Nizam loved their trait of Loyalty and trusted them more than anyone else. The Arab population increased during this period, settling in mainly in barracks on the outskirts of the walled, gated city.

Culture

The area is noted for culture with its Arab influences, [2] which later became integral to the Culture of Hyderabad. [3]

The local cuisine includes a sweet version of Harees (meat cooked with crushed wheat and spices) that is only available in Barkas. In the recent past Mandi, a Yemeni rice dish made with either chicken or mutton has grown into prominence which saw opening of multiple restaurants in Barkas and nearby areas. [4]

Main attractions

Barkas houses a lot of mosques especially the 'Jama'a Masjid'.

'Barkas Maidan' a multi-use playground, which is helped the growth of great sportsmen especially in the field of football like Habeeb Khan, Salam Aidroosi, Majid Khan,[ citation needed ] etc. who have won laurels for Barkas at National and International level.

'Mandi Road' which is the main road of Barkas going to the Shamshabad Airport from Chandrayangutta crossroads. It is lined with many restaurants serving a variety of Arab cuisine. This road is named after the most popular Arab dish - the Mandi. [4]

Cuisine

These restaurants also serve a variety of Arabic cuisine such as Kabsa, Majboos, Maqluba, Quzi, Saleeg and snacks such as Shawarma, Falafel and Mutabbaq.

Organisations

Barkas is home to "Jaundice Medicine Barkas", a non-profit organization providing free medication for Jaundice disease. The organisation is led by a team from Al Qureshi tribe.[ citation needed ]

Sabi Ul Khair is another non-profit organization established in Barkas catering to the social development of the area. And it offers various schemes for the social development of the locals, like providing funds for the marriage of girls belonging to poor households, funeral services etc.

Barkas also has a non-profitable organization called "Bait-ul-Maal". The sole intent of this organization is to help needy people and looking for the betterment of communities.

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabad State</span> Princely state (1724–1948 in South India)

Hyderabad State was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the Marathwada region of Maharashtra in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I</span> 18th-century Nizam of Hyderabad

Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi also known as Chin Qilich Qamaruddin Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah and Nizam I, was the 1st Nizam of Hyderabad. He was married to the daughter of a Syed nobleman of Gulbarga. He began his career as a favorite of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who made him a general. Following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, Asaf Jah refused to favour any one of Aurangzeb's warring sons and as such remained neutral. When Aurangzeb's third son Bahadur Shah ultimately emerged victorious, Asaf Jah was rotated as governor of multiple Mughal provinces until 1714, when he was created Viceroy of the Deccan with authority over six Mughal provinces in southern India from 1714 to 1719. From 1719 onwards he was involved in combating the intrigues of the Sayyid brothers. From 1720 to 1722 he helped the new Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah eliminate the Sayyid brothers and was rewarded by being elevated to the grand viziership from 1722 to 1724.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nizam of Hyderabad</span> Historic monarch of the Hyderabad State of India

The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State. Nizam, shortened from Nizam-ul-Mulk, meaning Administrator of the Realm, was the title inherited by Asaf Jah I. He was the former Naib (suzerain) of the Great Mughal in the Deccan, the premier courtier of Mughal India until 1724, the founding of an independent monarchy as the "Nizam of Hyderabad".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haleem</span> Type of stew

Haleem is a type of stew that is widely consumed in South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia. Although the dish varies from region to region, it optionally includes wheat or barley, meat and lentils. It is made by blending or mashing the meat in the curry and serving hot with flat breads or on its own. The original Haleem, which is different from this variety, is an ancient Iranian dish served with wheat, meat, cinnamon, and sugar that remains popular in Iran to this day. Popular variations of haleem include keşkek in Turkey, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and northern Iraq; harisa in the Arab world and Armenia; halim in Iran, West Bengal, in Mauritius and Bangladesh; and khichra in Pakistan and India.

The Chaush or Chaus are Muslim community of Hadhrami Arab descent found in the Deccan region of India. Chaush is an indianized version of the Arabic word JAYSH, which means Army. Most of the Arabs were drafted in Hyderabad army whether it was the Nizam's Army or the Nazm E Jamiat. So that's how Chaush came in to existence

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabadi biryani</span> Variant of biryani

Hyderabadi biryani is a style of biryani originating from Hyderabad, India made with basmati rice and meat. Originating in the kitchens of the Nizam of Hyderabad, it combines elements of Hyderabadi and Mughlai cuisines. Hyderabad biryani is a key dish in Hyderabadi cuisine and it is so famous that the dish is considered synonymous with the city of Hyderabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabadi Muslims</span> Indian Muslim community

Hyderabadi Muslims, also referred to as Hyderabadis are a community of Deccani people, who are part of a larger ethnic group of Urdu-speaking Muslims, from the area that used to be the princely state of Hyderabad in the regions of Marathwada, Telangana, and Kalyana-Karnataka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabadi cuisine</span> Native cooking style of Hyderabad, India

Hyderabadi cuisine, also known as Deccani cuisine, is the native cooking style of the Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The haute cuisine of Hyderabad began to develop after the foundation of the Bahmani Sultanate, and the Qutb Shahi dynasty centered in the city of Hyderabad promoted the native cuisine along with their own. Hyderabadi cuisine had become a princely legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad as it began to further develop under their patronage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asaf Jahi dynasty</span> Muslim dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Hyderabad from 1734 to 1948

The Asaf Jahi was a Muslim dynasty that ruled the Hyderabad State. The family came to India in the late 17th century and became employees of the Mughal Empire. They were great patrons of Persian culture, language, and literature, and the family found ready patronage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabadi haleem</span> Type of haleem popular in the Indian city Hyderabad

Hyderabadi haleem is a type of haleem popular in the Indian city of Hyderabad. Haleem is a stew composed of meat, lentils, and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. It is originally an Arabic dish and was introduced to the Hyderabad State by the Chaush people during the rule of the Nizams. Local traditional spices helped a unique Hyderabadi haleem evolve, that became popular among the native Hyderabadis by the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banjara Hills</span> Neighbourhood in Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Banjara Hills is an urban commercial centre and one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. This is an upmarket locality close to Jubilee Hills. This area was a hilly forest and was least inhabited in the past. Only few royal members of the Nizam's dynasty lived here, which was a hunting ground for them. Even with its history and status, this area now has completely been transformed to an urban commercial centre consisting of an array of high-end hotels, restaurants, night clubs and office buildings of global corporations. Banjara Hills is segregated by its road numbers, with each road having its own importance: the numbers start from 1 and end at 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadhrami people</span> Ethnic division of Arabs

The Hadhrami or Hadharem are an Arab ethnic group indigenous to the Hadhramaut region in South Arabia in the Eastern part of Yemen. They speak Hadhrami Arabic, an Arabic dialect with heavy influence from the extinct South Semitic Hadramautic language.

Arabs in India are people with Arab origins who have over a long period of time, settled in the Indian subcontinent. There have been extensive trade and cultural links between India and the Arab world spanning several millennia. The west coast region of India, especially Malabar and Konkan coasts were active trading hubs, where Arab merchants frequently used to visit on their way to Sri Lanka and South East Asia. Over a span of several centuries, migrants from different Arabian nations immigrated to various regions and kingdoms of the Indian subcontinent as merchants, missionaries and through intermarriages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old City (Hyderabad, India)</span> Walled City in Telangana, India

The Old City of Hyderabad is a walled city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India, located on the banks of the Musi River built by Qutb Shahi sultan Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 AD. There used to be a wall surrounding the Old City, most of which is destroyed. Mubariz Khan, the Mughal governor of Deccan Subah, had fortified the city in 1712 and was completed by Nizam of Hyderabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabadi Pahalwan</span>

Pahalwan also pronounced as Pehelwan, Pahelwan or Pehalwan means Wrestler in English. In hyderabad India, the word Pahalwan is generally called and related with two types of People.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Hyderabad</span> Overview of the culture of Hyderabad (India)

The culture of Hyderabad, also known as Hyderabadi Tehzeeb or Dakhini Tehzeeb, is the traditional cultural lifestyle of the Telugu people and Hyderabadi Muslims, and characterizes distinct linguistic and cultural traditions of North and South India, which meet and mingle in the city and erstwhile kingdom. This blending was the result of the geographic location of the region and the variety of historical dynasties that ruled the city across different periods—its inception by the Qutub Shahi dynasty in 1591 AD, the occupation by the Mughal Empire and its decline, and the patronage under the Asaf Jahi dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabad State Forces</span> Historical armed forces of the Hyderabad State

The Hyderabad State Forces were the armed forces of the princely state of Hyderabad. People from both India and abroad were recruited into the Forces. Among these groups were Arab nationals like Chaush and African nationals like Siddis who now stay in Barkas and A. C. Guards areas of Hyderabad respectively. The Hyderabad cavalry was chiefly composed of Muslim castes such as Mughals, Pathans, Syeds, Sheikhs and Balochs. They were principally recruited from the Deccan, but Delhi, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, Sindh and Balochistan also supplied recruits to bolster ranks. These non-indigenous soldiers were known as the "Rohollas". The Hindus made a very small portion of the cavalry. The Nizam of Hyderabad also had about 1200 Sikh guards. Other battalions within the army were referred to with the suffix "-walas". Some troops were also supplied by the Europeans for the security of the Nizam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Telangana</span> Aspect of history

The history of Telangana, located on the high Deccan Plateau, includes its being ruled by the Satavahana Dynasty, the Kakatiya Dynasty (1083–1323), the Musunuri Nayaks (1326–1356), the Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1512), Golconda Sultanate (1512–1687) and Asaf Jahi dynasty (1724-1950).

The localities and neighborhoods of Hyderabad have unique oral histories, dating to the time of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, over 400 years ago, and are named after various people and things. Some are named after a major building or structure in the locality, others named for individuals. The names are mostly in Telugu and Urdu, the major languages of the city. This is a list of localities, neighborhoods and streets of Hyderabad and their etymology.

References

  1. A home for the Chaush community, The Hindu, 25 Sep 2011
  2. "The haleem debate: Why some Indian Muslims are renaming the Ramzan delicacy 'daleem'".
  3. "Little Arabia - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 Aneez, Prabalika M. Borahzeenab (18 July 2014). "So, what's khaas about Barkas?". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 25 July 2018.