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the old bridge. It is the westernmost of the four bridges which now span the river between Haidarabad and its northern suburbs, and is carried on twenty-three pointed arches. Over it runs the old high road from the north-western gate of the city, through the suburb of Karwan to the principal gate of Golconda. The building of the bridge was followed by the building of a hospital and public baths, and the king's architects then set to work to design the royal palace, which was built on some open ground to the east of the Char Minar, probably the site now occupied by the Nizam's palace known as the Piirani Haveli, though the present palace, despite its name, is not that built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. An ornamental cistern called the Gulzar Hauz , or "cistern of the rose garden," was constructed at the same time. This cistern still exists in the centre of the Char kamati, but there is little in its surroundings that recalls a rose garden. The Dad Mahall, or hall of justice, a building which was unfortunately destroyed by fire early in the eighteenth century, when Ibrahim Khan was subahdar of the Deccan, was also built at the same time. Another building of the same date which cannot now be traced was the Nadi Mahall, or river palace. From the description given of it it probably occupied part of the ground on which the palace of the Nawab Salar Jang now stands. Gardens were laid out, other public buildings were constructed, and the nobles of the kingdom were encouraged to build palaces for themselves in the new city, which, however, remained destitute of one of the most important features of an eastern capital of those days, for it was not enclosed by walls, the present walls not having been built until after the kingdom of Golconda had fallen into the hands of the Mughals. It was for this reason that the later Qutb Shahi kings, while preferring Muhammad Quli's city as a place of residence, invariably took refuge in Sultan Quli's old fortress on the slightest indication of trouble.
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah died in 1612, immediately after his new city had been further adorned by a large tank on its eastern side. This was the work of his prime minister, Mir Jumla, after whom it is named. It is now much silted up, and adds nothing either to the beauty or the salubrity of Haidarabad.
Muhammad QuU left no son, and was succeeded by his nephew Muhammad Quth Shah, who had married Muhammad Quli' s daughter,
