The Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, as the entire complex is called, has 72 monuments including mausoleums of rulers of the Qutub Shahi dynasty (1518-1687) spread over 108 acres at the foot of the majestic Golconda Fort. Like many historic monuments in this 425-year-old city, the tombs have also been long neglected and face threat from encroachers. The 16th-17th century necropolis is now getting a new lease of life thanks to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which began the conservation work in November 2013.

Read More: Qutb Shahi Tombs to Regain Lost Grandeur

See also: A New Lease of Life for Qutb Shahi Tombs

The contrast is striking. On one side are blackened domes with vegetal growth sprouting and on the other, lime-mortar finished graceful structures rising in the sky. Visitors to the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park can’t help draw in their breath at the transformation taking place. The 16 century mausoleums are getting a second lease of life. Correcting the criminal neglect suffered by the tombs during the last two centuries is no easy task. But the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), world’s leading conservation body, has almost succeeded in doing the impossible.

Read More: A New Lease of Life for Qutb Shahi Tombs

See also: Qutb Shahi Monuments to be Restored

After a year-long restoration work, the Barah Khamba Tomb in the Nizamuddin heritage area was thrown open to tourists on Saturday. Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in partnership with Archaeological Survey of India, carried out the restoration work. DDA’s Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation co-funded the project. The 16th century Lodhi monument was inaugurated by DDA vice-chairman Balvinder Kumar. “The monument is one of its kind. The restoration work started in May last year. DDA has so far undertaken five such projects with Aha Khan Trust for Culture and we are planning similar projects for the conservation and restoration of the area,” Kumar said.

Read More: Barah Khamba Tomb Restored for Visitors

Humayun’s Tomb has got back its finial finally, almost nine months after it broke down in a storm last year. The new finial, which is an exact replica of the original, is made of 99.5 per cent pure copper and has been installed atop the main dome. Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) will, in the meanwhile, begin repairing the original finial and keep it at the proposed museum at the World Heritage Site.

Read More: Humayun’s Tomb Gets Its Finial Back

The 16th century Azimganj Serai is on its way to a complete revival. The monument, which is located within the Delhi zoo complex, was in ruins for decades. It has 108 vaults, of which many were crumbling away. And the work to consolidate and stabilize the structure started in phases nearly two years ago. They are being repaired, and restored wherever necessary said sources. The serai is being conserved for the first time.

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With Sufi singers singing Amir Khusro’s tunes in the backdrop, Mirza Aziz Koka’s restored tomb was opened to the public after four years of work. Better known as Chausath Khamba for its 64 pillars, the marble structure stands close to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s dargah and Mirza Ghalib’s mausoleum. Over three centuries of damage had caused the monument to lose its shine until the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the Archaeological Survey of India joined hands with the German Embassy for its restoration.

Read More: Chausath Khamba Tomb Reopens After Four Years of Painstaking Work

It’s amazing how the accident of life can turn a career — and in this case, perhaps reshape the way a city of more than 16 million looks at both its ruins and some of its future buildings. In the case of Ratish Nanda, it happened when a professor at a New Delhi college asked him and other students to write a paper on urban villages near their homes. During his research, Nanda discovered that he was living amid the ruins of a dynasty but didn’t know it.

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As you approach the Qutb Shah Tombs complex, you can sense a tingle of change in the air. The restaurant opened sometime back, has been transformed into a site archeological museum. Inside, there are sepia-tinted photographs, charts and maps about the state of the Qutb Shah Complex over a period 200 years. Some photographs show an open land with the tombs in the background, some from the vantage point of Old Bombay Highway and some show the excavations at the site.

Read More: Jamshed Quli’s Tomb Set to Regain Lost Lustre

The city will soon have an active excavation site, but instead of coveted treasure, the government seems to be looking for old civic systems. The State Department of Archaeology and Museums will kick-start the exercise, but unlike their earlier attempts to dig out treasure from beneath Naubat Pahad in the city, they are on the lookout for pathways, water works and gardens underneath the Qutb Shahi Tombs premises. Once permission is granted, the department intends to carry out a test phase by conducting scientific explorations at certain spots before deciding to go ahead full steam.

Read More: What Lies Under the Qutb Shahi Tombs?