Dargah Yousufain needs conservation not ‘cancer’

HYDERABAD: Conservation works undertaken at the nearly 300-year-old Dargah Yousufain at Nampally, known for its regular qawaali performances, is marred by shoddy conservation works.
The issue was flagged by historian Mohammed Safiullah of Deccan Heritage Trust.

Speaking to Express, Safiullah said, “The dargah is originally a lime stone structure. Cement works like cancer for lime stone. During rains it would affect the joints and would be dangerous for the structure.”
He blamed the Waqf Board for doing a shoddy job and alleged that the Board had taken a shortcut as conservation of structures using lime and mortar is both time-consuming and heavy on the pocket. It is also important to note that the cash-strapped Waqf Board is precipitated by the increase in salary of imams and muezzins starting last year.

The Dargah houses the graves of two military commanders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s army, Hazrath Syed Shah Yousufuddin and Syed Shah Shariuddin, whose help was sought by the emperor for conquering Golconda. Legends have it that when Aurangazeb’s army was trying to seize the Golconda Fort, they camped around its perimeter for months. One night of hurricane swept every soldiers’ tents away, except that of Yousufuddin and Shariufuddin, who were inside reading the quran. Post that incident they were regarded as ‘saints’.