Char Kaman (literally "meaning four gates") are four historical structures in
Hyderabad,
India.[1] It is located near
Charminar.[2] After the completion of
Charminar, at about 75m feet to its north, four lofty arches known as Charkaman were built in 1592 by the
Qutb Shahi dynasty along with
Gulzar Houz.[3]
The names of the four arches are Charminar Kaman, Machli Kaman, Kali Kaman and Sher-e-Batil-Ki-Kaman.[4] The arches are fifty feet high, and demarcate an open square, in front of which a Qutb Shahi palace once existed. Scholar
Omar Khalidi notes that the Char Kaman conceptually resembles the
Registan constructed in
Samarqand,
Uzbekistan by the
Timurids.[5]
The gateway to the Charminar in Hyderabad on a busy afternoon.