Tombs of the Talpur Mirs, Hyderabad

The Tombs of the Talpur Mirs are a walled group of domed mausoleums in the Hirabad quarter of Hyderabad, about 4 km north of the railway station. They hold the Talpur rulers who governed Sindh from 1783 until the British conquest in 1843, with their wives and children. Locals call the place Cubbas or Miran ja Kubba, the domes of the Mirs. Building began in 1812, and the reason to come is the tilework: blue flowers on white, covering whole facades.

This guide covers who lies where, what to look at, the state of the restoration, how to reach the site and how to pair it with the Kalhora tomb ten minutes away.

Who were the Talpur Mirs?

The Talpurs were a Baloch family who served the Kalhora rulers of Sindh as soldiers. After a Kalhora ruler had the Talpur chief Mir Bahram Khan killed, they revolted. Mir Fateh Ali Khan defeated the Kalhoras at the Battle of Halani in 1783 and took the country.

He did not rule alone. He shared power with his three brothers, Ghulam Ali, Karam Ali and Murad Ali, an arrangement known as the Chauyari, the rule of four friends. Each brother followed the last, and the title Mir passed down their line until 17 February 1843, when Sir Charles Napier's army beat the Hyderabad Mirs at Miani, north of the city. Our guide to the Miani battlefield covers that day.

Sources differ by a year on some of these dates.

Who is buried where

The largest dome holds two brothers of the founding four: Mir Karam Ali Khan, who died in 1828 and for whom the first tomb was begun in 1812, and Mir Murad Ali Khan, who died in 1833. A smaller building behind it holds Karam Ali's two wives, and two small tombs at its south-west corner hold other Mirs.

The northern group holds the later rulers: Mir Noor Muhammad Khan, Mir Naseer Khan, Mir Shahdad Khan and Mir Hussain Ali Khan, with their wives and children in separate buildings beside them.

The southern group has two principal mausoleums near the east entrance, holding four more Mirs, with the tombs of wives and children around them.

The founder, Mir Fateh Ali Khan, is not here. His mausoleum is at New Khudabad, and the Hyderabad tombs were built to much the same pattern.

Most graves carry no name. Unless a caretaker or a guide points them out, you will be matching domes to the list above.

What to look at

• The tile facades. Glazed tiles in blue floral patterns on a white ground, with touches of green, yellow and brown. Each entrance front has three arched panels with tiled flower panels above.
• The graves. Carved marble, with verses of the Quran in Arabic. On some interior walls there is Persian poetry.
• The turban stands. At the head of the rulers' graves is a raised projection that held the Mir's own turban.
• The women's tombs. These are different in shape: long, vaulted buildings with two domes, closed in by jaali screens across the doorways. By custom men still do not enter them, so male visitors should stay outside and ask before photographing.
• Old and new tile side by side. Where restored panels meet original ones, compare the colour and glaze and judge the repair for yourself.

Condition and restoration

For decades the tombs were in poor shape. Under the federal Department of Archaeology they decayed, houses crept up to the walls, and the open ground was used for cricket. Damp rotted the plaster and wall paintings, earlier repairs in cement cracked the old brickwork, and one tomb lost its dome in the heavy rains of 2012.

Responsibility passed to the Sindh Culture Department on 30 March 2011, and restoration was handed to the Endowment Fund Trust, a body the Sindh government set up in 2008. Work under the engineer Ishtiaq Ansari began in about 2012. His team fired replacement tiles in a kiln on site, using craftsmen from Hala and Nasarpur, the Sindhi towns still known for this work, and repainted faded frescoes by hand. Anadolu Agency reported in 2021 that eight of the twelve mausoleums in the Karam Ali group had been restored with the original materials.

So expect a site that is partly bright and renewed and partly still worn. It has a boundary wall and a gateway, but no museum and very little signage.

How to get there

Hirabad is in the older northern part of the city. From Hyderabad railway station or from Pakka Qila it is 3 to 4 km, ten to fifteen minutes by rickshaw outside rush hour. Ask for Miran ja Kubba or the Talpur tombs in Hirabad; drivers know it.

From Karachi it is about 160 km, around two and a half hours on the M-9 motorway to the edge of Hyderabad and then through the city. Our Karachi to Hyderabad road guide covers the drive.

We could not confirm an entry fee or fixed opening hours. Go in daylight. The tomb chambers may be locked, so ask for the caretaker, and carry small cash for a tip.

Pairing it with the Kalhora tomb

The tomb of Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro, the Kalhora ruler who founded Hyderabad and built its fort in 1768, is less than 2 km north of the Talpur tombs. Seeing both in one outing shows the handover in stone: the dynasty the Talpurs served and overthrew, then the Talpurs themselves. Our Kalhora tombs guide has the details.

A sensible half day runs like this:

1. Pakka Qila, the fort both dynasties ruled from.
2. The Talpur tombs in Hirabad.
3. The Kalhora tomb.
4. Lunch and the bazaars; see places to visit in Hyderabad.

When to go

November to February is the comfortable season. From April to June Hyderabad is very hot by late morning, and the courtyard gives little shade, so go early. Dress as you would for a shrine: covered shoulders and legs, and shoes off inside the tomb chambers.

Is it worth the visit?

Yes, for anyone interested in Sindh's history or in tilework. Nowhere else in Hyderabad shows the Talpur period so directly, and it draws few visitors.

If you have time for only one monument, the fort is the bigger name. Come here for the craftsmanship. Travellers with no interest in history or architecture can skip it without regret.

Frequently asked questions