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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/br/2002/0 ... 050300.htm* Hyderabadi Art : Hyderabad Through The Ages 
THE SPLENDOUR OF HYDERABAD — The last Phase of an Oriental Culture: (1591-1948 A.D.) M. A. Nayeem; Hyderabad Publishers, 10-2-5/8/1, A.C. Guards, Hyderabad-500004. Rs. 2000.THE BOOK under review, authored by a well known historian, is divided into three parts, viz. The Qutb Shahi period (1518-1687), Mughal period (1687-1720) and the Asaf Jahi period (1720-1948 A.D.) when Hyderabad State was finally merged with the Union of India.
# Apart from a detailed description of the Golkonda Fort and its associated buildings, the book presents an interesting account of art and architecture of the Qutb Shahi era.
The Qutb Shahi monarchs were prolific builders who built a large number of edifices, such as mosques, Ashurkhanas, tombs, palaces, sarais, hospitals, tanks and hammams, which are lying scattered in and around the city.
# Part two of the book, which deals with the Mughal hegemony over the Hyderabad State (1687-1720 A.D.), was too short a period to leave any abiding impact on the art and culture of the city.
# Part three deals with the Asaf Jahi era (1720-1948), which was a period of cultural assimilation and synthesis. Asaf Jahs, being the nobles of the Mughal Court earlier, were greatly enamoured of the Mughal culture, which was a blend of the Persian and Indian, particularly Rajasthani, cultural norms and traditions.
Thus, the Hyderabadi art and architecture of the 18th and 19th Centuries is eclectic which imbibes the Mughal cultural traits and traditions on the one hand and borrows freely from the Western art traditions on the other, which had come into vogue in Hyderabad after the construction of the British Residency in 1806 A.D. The Hyderabadi artists, however, did not fail to draw inspiration from their own soil, may it be architecture, painting, dress and ornaments for which the city was famous.# The Asaf Jahi architecture, including palaces, tombs and mosques, belonging to Kings and nobles, are good examples of a mixture of the Mughal and European art styles. Besides the Residency building, there are a number of churches in the city, which are built in typical British style of architecture.
Apart from architecture, the book furnishes a good account of the jewels and ornaments of the Nizam's period, including the jewellery of the Nizam Trust.
In other words, it provides a testimony to the fabulous riches which the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII was known for throughout the world.
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