The Qutb Shahi dynasty (whose members were also called the Qutub Shahis) was the ruling family of the kingdom of Golconda in southern India. They were Shia Muslims and belonged to a Turkmen tribe from the Turkmenistan-Armenia region.

The dynasty's founder, Sultan Quli Qutbl Mulk, migrated to Delhi with some of his relatives and friends in the beginning of the 16th century. Later he migrated south to Deccan and served Bahmani sultan Mohammad Shaw . He conquered Golconda and became the Governor of Telangana State in 1518, after the disintegration of the Bahmani Kingdom into the five Deccan sultanates. Soon after, he declared independence from the Bahmani Sultanate, took title "Qutub Shah," and established Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda.

This dynasty was the first Muslim dynasty to rule Telugus. This effectively divided the Telugu nation into two countries, one Muslim ruled country (Telanagana State) and the other a Hindu ruled country. The dynasty ruled Golconda for 171 years, until the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's armies conquered the Deccan in 1687. Even then, Telangana State continued to be ruled by Muslims until the Hyderabad State joined the Indian Union in 1948 with the military intervention of New Delhi.

The Qutub Shahi rulers were great builders and patrons of learning. They not only patronized the Persian culture but also the regional culture of the Deccan, symbolized by the Telugu language and the newly developed Deccani idiom of Urdu. The main part of Golconda State was Telangana. Though, Telugu was not their mother tongue, Golconda rulers learned Telugu language. Golconda and later Hyderabad served as capitals of the sultanate, and both cities were embellished by the Qutb Shahi sultans. The seven kings in the dynasty were:

1. Sultan Quli Qutbl Mulk (1518-1543)
2. Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah (1543-1550)
3. Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah (1550-1580)
4. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1580-1612)
5. Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (1612-1626)
6. Abdullah Qutb Shah (1626-1672)
7. Abul Hasan Qutb Shah (1672-1687)

External link

• Telugu Literature and Culture of Qutub Shahi Dynasty