The etymology of Hyderabad is the subject of many myths and apocryphal accounts. One myth postulates that Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, named the city Bhaganagar after Bhagmathi, a local nautch (dancer) girl with whom he fell in love. He married Bhagmathi who converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Mahal. The city was renamed in her honour to "Hyderabad", literally meaning "Hyder's abode". Andrew Petersen, a scholar of Islamic architecture, states that the city was originally called Baghnagar which means "the city of gardens". Yet another theory says Hyderabad was named to honour the Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who was also known as Hyder.
Early and medieval history
Archaeologists have unearthed Iron Age sites near the city that could date back to 500 BCE. The region comprising modern Hyderabad and its surrounding was known as Golkonda (English: The Shepherd's Hill), which was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty from 731 CE to 966 CE. Following the dissolution of the Chalukya dynasty into four empires in the 11th century, Golkonda came under the control of the Kakatiya dynasty (1000–1310). The Kakatiya dynasty's headquarters was at Warangal, located 148 kilometres (92 mi) northeast of modern Hyderabad.
When Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi Sultanate took over Warangal, Hyderabad region came under the Khilji dynasty (1310–1321). Alauddin Khilji carried with him to Delhi the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which was mined from the Kollur Mines in Golkonda. Soon the Delhi sultanate was occupied by Muhammad bin Tughluq, bringing Warangal under rule of the Tughlaq dynasty until 1347. Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, a governor of Muhammad bin Tughluq, revolted against the sultanate and established the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan with Gulbarga (200 kilometres (124 mi) west of Hyderabad) as its capital. The Bahmani kings ruled the region until 1518, becoming the first independent Muslim rulers of the Deccan.
In 1518, Sultan Quli, a
