The culture of Hyderabad, also known as Hyderabadi Tehzeeb () or Dakhini Tehzeeb (), is the traditional cultural lifestyle of the Hyderabadi Muslims, and characterizes distinct linguistic and cultural traditions of North and South India, which meet and mingle in the city and erstwhile kingdom. This blending was the result of the geographic location of the region and the variety of historical dynasties that ruled the city across different periods—its inception by the Qutub Shahi dynasty in 1591 AD, the occupation by the Mughal Empire and its decline, and the patronage under the Asaf Jahi dynasty.
The city is historically known for its Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, which refers to unity and co-existence of Hindu and Muslim cultures and traditions. Apart from a few instances of communal violence, the majority of the city residents advocate communal harmony between Hyderabadi Muslims and Telugu people, the two main religious and cultural groups found in the city.
Apart from Hyderabad, Hyderabadi Culture is also seen in communities in Bidar, Vijayawada, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Guntur, Latur and Aurangabad. These used to be a part of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, hence, the culture is prevalent in the areas, especially among Dakhini Muslims.
Hyderabadis, as residents of the city are known, may be either Urdu or Telugu speaking. The traditional Hyderabadi garb is Sherwani Kurta Paijama, and Lungi for men, Sarees, Khara Dupatta and Salwar kameez for women. Burqa and Hijab is commonly practised among the Muslim women in public. Most of the youth wear western clothing. Public carnivals celebrated in Hyderabad include the, Ganesh Chaturthi, Bonalu, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, Milad Un Nabi
The Capital
Hyderabad city as the former capital of Hyderabad State had received the royal patronage for arts, literature and architecture by the former rulers, also attracting men of letters and arts from different parts of the world to get settled in the city. Such multi-ethnic settlements popularised multi cultural events such as Mushairas, literary and stage drama. Besides the popularity of Western and other Indian popular musics such as the filmi music, the residents of Hyderabad play city based Marfa Music which had become an integral part of every event. The Osmania University and University of Hyderabad offers Masters and Doctoral (PhD) level programs in classical languages, modern languages, dance, theatre arts, painting, fine art and communication. The Ravindra Bharati, Shilpakala Vedika and Lalithakala Thoranam are well-known auditoria for theatre and performing arts in the city. Another prominent cultural centre is Lamakaan, known for promoting the arts and regularly hosting a plethora of events and workshops.
The modern Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), also known as HITEX, constructed with the cost of 3 billion has become well known venue address internationally. The Hyderabad Literary Festival, held since 2010, is an annual event which showcases the city's literary and cultural aspects. In the year 2010, the first ever International Congress of Mathematicians was organised in the city. Other cultural events include annual Numaish and literary festival for promoting regional Indian literature. Some of the nationally and internationally acclaimed cultural representatives from the city are Sarojini Naidu, Amjad Hyderabadi, M F Hussain, Irshad Panjatan, Talat Aziz, Harsha Bhogle, Sharmila Tagore, Vithal Rao, Shaik Dawood Khan, Janardhan Mitta and Rashid Ali.
Museums Hyderabad is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions which are major tourist attractions as well as playing a research role. The first of these to be established was the State Archaeology Museum (former name Hyderabad Museum) in 1930. The other important museums including, the Salar Jung Museum, the Nizam Museum, the City Museum, the Khazana Building Museum and the Birla Science Museum which also comprises a planetarium.
Salar Jung Museum
The Salar Jung Museum, which houses "The world's largest one-man collection", is by far the largest and most famous museum in the city. It is one of the three national museums of India. It houses an impressive collection of artifacts from all over the world, collected by Salar Jung III, who was the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. Among the most notable exhibits are jade-crafted daggers belonging to Jahangir and Shah Jahan, the famous sculpture of Veiled Rebecca and copies of the Quran in various styles and sizes.
The Nizam Museum
The Nizam’s Museum, situated within the Purani Haveli complex in Hyderabad, Telangana, was established in 2000 to preserve and exhibit the heritage of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. The museum houses a diverse collection of artifacts that once belonged to the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Its exhibits include a golden throne used during the Silver Jubilee celebrations of 1936, silver replicas of Hyderabad’s notable landmarks, vintage automobiles such as a 1930s Rolls-Royce, and a variety of personal gifts and memorabilia. The collection offers insight into the political, cultural, and artistic milieu of early twentieth-century Hyderabad and reflects the grandeur associated with the Nizam’s rule.
The City Museum Located within the historic Purani Haveli complex, the City Museum offers a broader view of Hyderabad’s evolution, complementing the royal focus of the nearby Nizam’s Museum. Inaugurated in 2012, it traces the city’s history from prehistoric settlements and megalithic cultures to its development under the Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi dynasties. The museum’s collection includes Neolithic tools, Satavahana-era coins, terracotta figurines, and traditional textiles, each reflecting a different layer of the region’s cultural identity. Interactive exhibits, including multilingual digital kiosks, allow visitors to explore the stories of Hyderabad’s neighborhoods and communities. Together, the displays present a vivid narrative of how the city’s artistic, architectural, and social life has evolved across centuries.
The Khazana Building The Khazana Building Museum, located near the historic Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, occupies a former royal treasury built in the 16th century under the reign of Ibrahim Qutb Shahi. The structure served as a fortress-like storage for the sultanate’s riches and later, following the transition of power in 1948, was repurposed by the Indian Army for salary distribution before being handed over to the heritage authorities. The museum’s collection includes cannons from the Qutb Shahi period, stone sculptures from the Chalukya and Kakatiya dynasties, rare coins and excavated relics spanning several centuries. While the building underwent restoration in 2016, the museum has faced periods of inaccessibility to the public due to security and maintenance issues, highlighting the ongoing challenges of preserving Hyderabadi heritage.
Art
Painting Deccani style painting originated in the 16th century in and around Hyderabad. It contains an insightful native style with the blend of foreign techniques and has a similarity of neighbouring Vijayanagara paintings. The extensive use of luminous, gold and white colours is generally found in Deccani paintings. Due to the Islamic influence in the sultanate the Deccani paintings are mostly of nature with the background of floral and fauna, and the major use of regional landscape is reflected commonly with regional culture. Some Deccani paintings present the historical events of the region.
Handicraft
A Fine art metal handicraft Bidri ware (the skills and techniques which came from Middle East to India during the 14th century), was popularised in Hyderabad during Asif Jahi region in the 18th century. Today the production of Bidriware in Hyderabad and neighbouring Bidar accounts highest in India. The Bidri ware is a Geographical Indication (GI) awarded craft of India. The Kalamkari, a fine art of Handicraft (originated in Machilipatnam 3000 year ago is a Handicraft of Andhra Pradesh) is also popular in the city.
Literature
The Qutb Shahs were regarded as the great patrons of Urdu, Farsi and Telugu language. The region saw a growth of Deccani Urdu literature, the Deccani Masnavi and Diwan composed during those periods are among the earliest available manuscripts in the Urdu language. The literary work of this region is influenced with the regional Marathi, Telugu, and Kannada in parallel with Arabic and Persian including the adoption of poetic meters and a great quantity of renovated words. The Fifth Sultan of the dynasty, Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah was himself an Urdu poet.
The period of Nizams saw a growth of literary growth since after printing was introduced in Hyderabad. In 1824 AD, the first collection of Urdu Ghazals named Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa (Mahlaqa's garden of flowers) written by Mah Laqa Bai, was printed and published from Hyderabad.
After the Revolt of 1857, many Urdu writers, scholars and poets who lost their patronage at Delhi made Hyderabad their home, that grew and brought reforms in the literary and poetry work. Scholars continued to migrate to Hyderabad during the reign of Asaf Jah VI and his successor Asaf Jah VII. These included Shibli Nomani, Dagh Dehlvi, Fani Badayuni, Josh Malihabadi, Ali Haider Tabatabai, Zahir Dehlvi and many others.
The reign of Asaf Jah VII saw many reforms in literary work. For the first time in history the Nizams introduced Urdu as a language of court, administration and education. Other notable poets, scholars and writers of the early 20th century are Amjad Hyderabadi, Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad, Makhdoom Mohiuddin, Sayyid Shamsullah Qadri, Mohiuddin Qadri Zore and Sulaiman Areeb.
Sarojini Naidu, born and brought up in Hyderabad, was a great admirer of Hyderabadi culture. She described its various aspects in her poems, the most famous of which is "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad".
Since after Indian Independence, the organisation that are working for the development of the literary work are Sahitya Akademi (to promote both Telugu and Urdu in Telangana), Urdu Academy, Telugu Academy, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, The Comparative Literature Association of India and Andhra Saraswata Parishad (Former name; Nizam Rashtria Andhra Saraswata Parishad). Along with native languages the city attracts many international languages scholars since after the establishment of English and Foreign Languages University (1972). The State Central Library, Hyderabad (former name Asifia Kutubkhana) since 1891 is the biggest library of Telangana. The other popular libraries in the city are the Sri Krishna Devaraya Andhra Bhasha Nilayam, the British Library and the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram which also houses Urdu research center's collection.
In 2017, Urdu was declared the second official language of the state of Telangana. (after Telugu) This move was praised by many residents of the area, especially Muslims of Hyderabad who spoke Urdu as their mother tongue.
Dance, Theatre and Music
Since inception of Hyderabad, the nobles have a tradition of courtesans dance and poetry, which had led to a unique style of dance form in court dance in Hyderabad, the Taramati of the early 16th century and Mah Laqa Bai 18th century are some of the early courtesans who popularised Kathak dance and poetry culture in the early history of Hyderabad. Some of the dance festivals organised by the AP Government are; Golconda Music and Dance Festival, The Taramati Music Festival, The Premavathi Dance Festival.