Dome

Looking out from the elevated mosque level double balconies; The English name is a combination of the Urdu words Chār and Minar, translating to "Four Towers". It stands at the intersection of two streets leading to the four quarters of the original city, has four minarets and four lofty arched portals supporting an elevated mosque. It is a square structure with each side 20 meters (approximately 66 feet) long. It was built by the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (reigned 1580-1612). It may have been built to commemorate the eradication of the plague, but 1591 is also the Islamic millennium year (1000 AH); Qutb Shah founded the new capital city of Hyderabad to celebrate the event. Mir Momin Astarabadi, Qutb Shah's prime minister, played a leading role in preparing the layout plan of the Charminar and new city. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 6/3/2015)