Barkas, Hyderabad

Coordinates: 17°19′07″N 78°28′56″E / 17.318595°N 78.482298°E / 17.318595; 78.482298

Barkas (Urdu: بارکس‎, Telugu: బార్కస్) is a neighbourhood in Hyderabad, India, located in the old city area. The name "Barkas" is believed to be derived from the English word "barracks".

Before Indian independence, Barkas served as the military barracks of the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Nizams were surrounded by hostile rulers in the Deccan, and chose to employ Arabs instead of local military, these Arabs who formed the bulk of the Nizams' personal army were more reliable as they could not defect to the rival states unlike locals and were trustworthy because the Asaf Jahi rulers also claimed Arab ancestry. The Arab population increased during this period, settling in mainly in barracks on the outskirts of the walled, gated city.

Barkas is now inhabited mainly by the Chaush community, who are direct descendants of the Hadhrami, who were Arab military men and bodyguards from the Hadhramaut region of South Arabia (now part of the Republic of Yemen).

Cuisine

The local cuisine includes a sweet version of Harees (meat cooked with crushed wheat and spices) that is only available in Barkas.

In the recent past 'Mandi' a Yemeni rice dish made with either chicken or mutton has grown into prominence which saw opening of multiple restaurants in Barkas and near by areas.

These restaurants also serve a variety of Arabic cuisine such as Kabsa, Majboos, Maqluba, Quzi, Saleeg and Arabic Snacks like Shawarma, Falafel and Mutabbaq.

Organisations

Barkas is home to Jaundice Medicine Barkas, a non-profit organization providing free jaundice medication. The organisation is led by a team from Al Quraishi tribe.

Sabi Ul Khair is a non-profit organization established in Barkas catering to the social development of the area. And it offers various schemes for the social development of the locals, like providing funds for Marriage of girls belonging to poor households, funeral services etc.

Main Attraction

Barkas houses a lot of mosques especially the 'Jama'a Masjid'

'Barkas Maidan' a multi use playground, which is helped the growth of great sportsmen espically in the field of football like Habeeb Khan, Salam Aidroosi, Majid Khan etc. who have won laurels for Barkas in National and International level.

'Mandi Road' which is actually the main road of Barkas going to the Shamshabad Airport from Chandrayangutta cross roads. It is lined with many Arabic restaurants serving Mandi, Kabsa, Majboos, Maqluba, Quzi, Saleeg and a variety of other Arabic cuisine such as Shawarma, Falafel and Mutabbaq.

'Barkas bazaar' also called 'Dubai bazaar' which is a market having all imported items from Arab states of the Persian Gulf. It also has many Restaurants serving the famous Sweet & Salty Harees as well as Cafes serving the famous Suleimani tea and Yemeni Qahwah. Many locals and visitors can be found relaxing and chatting here. Some cafes also keep Sheesha for their customers.

'Barkas Kamela' or Meat market is also famous for its fresh Poultry, Mutton and Beef which is supplied on daily basis even on large scale.

References

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.