Barkas, Hyderabad

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.

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, Aidroosi, Majid Khan etc. who have won laurels for Barkas in National and International level.

References

• [1] Barkas Street, A Mini Arabia In Hyderabad
• حيدرأباد والحضارمة والمحاولات العبثية لطمس هويتها الإسلامية, Al-Ayyam (Yemen), 14 May 2007
• Ahmed Bin Salam Bahiyal who came from hadramawt to (mahabubnagar) India
• Omer Khulaidi,Faisal Bin Salam Yafai 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