In 1463, disturbances broke out in the Telangana area of the
Bahamani kingdom of Deccan. Sultan Quli Qutbul Mulk, a Turk who
was a high ranking military officer under Muhammad Shah
Bahamani, was sent to quell the trouble. He was successful and
was rewarded by being made the Subedar of Telangana in 1495,
with Golconda as his head- quarters. Subsequently, with the
disintegration of the Bahamani Kingdom in the early 16th
century, Sultan Quli assumed virtual independence. Thus he
founded the Qutub Shahi dynasty that lasted from 1518 right up
to 1687 when Aurangzeb's armies swept the Deccan. This dynasty
spanned 171 years in the history of South India. The eight kings
of this royal line have left a firm impression of their strong
personalities upon the land and its people. 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. Qutub Shah 1 :