Aga Khan Trust for Culture excavation team unearths 16th century ‘Summer Palace’ and a buried tunnel

Archaeologists excavate remnants of a 16th century ‘summer palace’ and a tunnel in the vicinity of Golconda Fort and Qutb Shahi tombs.

Peeling away the layers of hidden past, archaeologists have excavated remnants of a 16th century ‘summer palace’ and almost a kilometre-long tunnel in the vicinity of Golconda Fort and Qutb Shahi tombs here.

Under an US-sponsored project taken up in partnership with Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), the excavations have unearthed the buried vestiges of ‘summer palace’, an accommodation block meant for maintenance staff of Qutb Shahi rulers. The archaeologists working on the project have dated the excavated site back more than 400 years.

“The palace had underground chambers which perhaps were designed to maintain cool environment and thus left a reference as a summer palace,” said K.K. Muhammed, AKTC Project Archaeological Director, who is involved in the project.

Interesting pieces that were dug up at the site here include Chinese pottery, glazed pottery and ‘Martabani’ pottery which has roots in southeast nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia. “This in a way underscores the trade links with China and south-eastern nations during those times,” he said. Other finds include ‘hookahs’, the presence of which point links to Portugal.

Discover, Explore and Learn more at:

• Digging deep into the past, by T. LALITH SINGH for TheHindu.com
• U.S. funds excavation of 16th century India tombs, by Reuters Media for The Jamestown Sun
• Summer Palace’ at Qutub Shahi has a chinese connect, for The Times of India
• Masjid, Tunnel, Summer Palace discovered at Qutub Shahi tombs, for The Siasat Daily
• Excavation at Qutb Shahi tombs leads to fresh discoveries, by the Press Trust of India for the Business Standard
• US sponsors excavation project at Qutub Shahi Tombs, for The Statesman