Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1580-1611 CE) (Urdu: محمد قلی قطب شاہ‎) was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda in south India. He founded the city of Bhagyanagar, and built its architectural centerpiece, the Charminar. He was an able administrator and his reign is considered one of the high points of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. Some say that later after 1605 CE, he named the city in honour of Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, regarded as the first Imam by Shia Muslims and who alternatively was known by the name Haider, meaning "lion". Hyder-(meaning)--Brave Haider-(meaning)--Lion He ascended to the throne in 1580 at the age of 15 and ruled for thirty-one years. Some historians say that he was 17 years of age at the time of his crowning also.

The planning of Hyderabad was greatly influenced by that of Esfahan, which Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah opined was unparalleled in the world and a replica of heaven itself.