Why it looks like this

Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah founded Hyderabad in 1591 beside the Musi River, and its centre was a piece of geometry: the Charminar, a monumental four-way arch, with principal streets running north, south, east and west, and the Char Kaman arches framing the approach. The old city's bazaars, including the pearl market of Laad Bazaar, still hang off those axes.

North of Hussain Sagar — the great tank dammed in the 16th century — the British built Secunderabad as a separate cantonment city; the twin cities eventually fused around the lake, while the modern IT city of 'Cyberabad' pulled growth far to the west.