Barkas, Hyderabad

Barkas (Urdu: بارکس) is a neighbourhood in Hyderabad, India that used to serve as the Military Barracks of the Nizam of Hyderabad. It is known as being inhabited mainly by the Chaush community who are direct descendants of the Hadhrami Arab military men and bodyguards hailing from the Hadhramaut region of the then, South Arabia, now part of the Republic of Yemen. The name "Barkas" is believed to be derived from the English word "barracks". .

It was a colony of the former employees of Nizams, the sovereigns of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad. As they were surrounded by hostile rulers in the Deccan, Nizams trusted the tall and strongly built Arabs. Arabs had been mostly recruited in their personal army. Their numbers grew and the Arabs were settled in barracks on the outskirts of the walled, gated city.

The name 'Barkas' is derived from the word 'Wadiya Barkas', which is a colony in Saudi Arabia. A regiment from Barkas in Arabia had been called to Hyderabad. So most of the residents of this colony are the original inhabitants of Yemen and Arabia.

One can savour Iranian dishes like Harees (meat cooked with crushed wheat and spices) and Biryani (rice cooked with chicken) in any places in Hyderabad. But the sweet version of Haleem, known by the name Harees, is only available at Barkas.

Barkas people are very trustworthy and loyal.They have won Andhra Kesari and Hind Kesari titles many times. Barkas is also famous for Jaundice medicine served by Hakeem Mahmood Qureshi.People from different corners of the world come here to take this medicine.

References

• [1] Barkas Street, A Mini Arabia In Hyderabad
• حيدرأباد والحضارمة والمحاولات العبثية لطمس هويتها الإسلامية, Al-Ayyam (Yemen), 14 May 2007
• Omar Khalidi, The Arabs of Hadramawt in Hyderabad in Mediaeval Deccan History, eds Kulkarni, Naeem and de Souza, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1996
• Leif Manger, Hadramis in Hyderabad: From Winners to Losers, Asian Journal of Social Science, Volume 35, Numbers 4-5, 2007 , pp. 405–433(29)
• Ababu Minda Yimene, An African Indian community in Hyderabad, Cuvillier Verlag, 2004, pg 201

External links

• Barkas: Yemen in Hyderabad, Lifestyle of Barkas people