Abids

Abids అబిడ్స్
neighbourhood
Abids circle with the Nehru statue, and the GPO in the background
Abids Location in Telangana, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Telangana
District	Hyderabad
Metro	Hyderabad
Government
• Body	GHMC
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	500 001
Lok Sabha constituency	Hyderabad
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Khairtabad
Planning agency	GHMC

Abids (Telugu: అబిడ్స్) or Abid Shop (Telugu: అబిద్ షాప్) is a major commercial center in Hyderabad, India. Abids is well known as it is the oldest and most famous business area in Hyderabad. The state government building TSFC, and the President Plaza are located here. A very wide variety of businesses are located here, unlike most markets which are known for specialising in a certain trade. This area's importance has increased because of its close proximity to Nampally Railway Station.

History

The area had a shop belonging to Albert Abid, a valet of Nizam VI of Hyderabad state, hence the area came to be known as Abid Shop.

Commerce

Today the whole area is one of the main shopping centres in the city and the main street is known as Abid Road. The General Post Office or GPO headquarters is located in this area. The major businesses are hotels and shops for textiles, clothing, jewellery, footwear, and electronics. BSNL, the largest telecommunications provider in the city, has its headquarters located here. The famous Jagdish market, which is well known due to the many custom notified shops that existed in the area, and is now a bustling grey market for mobiles and electronics, is also located here. The GHMC office is also located here, situated adjacent to the GPO. The old Taj Mahal hotel is a major Udupi restaurant set up in the early 1960s.

Some of the popular shops and establishments situated here today are Samasthan Gadwal Handloom Centre, Silicon, Hollywood Footwear, G. Pulla Reddy Sweets, Taj Mahal Hotel, Palace Heights Restaurant, YOUDAN Computers, John's Bakery, Cherma's, Grand Restaurant and Lodging, Metro Footwear, Bulchand Jewellers, F.D. Khan Textiles, Meena Bazaar, Bata Footwear, A.A. Hussain & Co., Abdul Razzack & Sons Pharmacy, Nizamia, Aziz Company, Hindustan Leathers and Hina Pen and Stationery Store.

The area is a major business hub and has lots of hotels for travellers interested in the businesses that serve Hyderabad and several government departments.

Culture

Some famous temples are located here especially on the Nampally & Abids road, such as the Hanuman Temple, Hyderabad and ISKCON, Hyderabad, which are considered to be heritage sites.

Education

Through colonialism and missionary work english speaking schools were established, including Nazareth High School, Stanley Girls High School, Methodist School, St. George's Grammar School, Little Flower High School, St. John's Grammar School, Rosary Convent High School, All Saints High School, and Seventh-Day Adventist High School.

Transport

The Abid Road is an arterial road of the city, connecting parts of the old city to the new and also to Hyderabad's twin city, Secunderabad, via Tank Bund Road. Abids is well connected by state run buses to Ghatkesar, Koti, Nampally, Dilsukhnagar and other areas of the city.

The closest MMTS train station is located a kilometre away at the Nampally railway station. Other public modes of transport such as autos and taxis are found aplenty as they keep shuttling between this area and other areas of the city.

Shopping

• Samasthan Gadwal Handloom Centre is famous for traditional and ethnic sarees throughout Telangana.

• MPM mall is the city's first shopping mall is located in Abids.

• New Marketing complex is situated on Tilak Road in Abids.

Shop for sarees, leathers goods, jewelry, and other special souvenirs.

• Mubarak Bazaar is ideal for shopping for women's clothing, accessories, shoes and custom tailoring.

Stay/lodging

• Hotel Geetanjali, located in the New Marketing complex situated on Tilak Road in Abids, has provided budget accommodation for travelers to Hyderabad since 1982.

Offices

• Insurance Office (Tilak Road)
• Directorate of State Audit (Insurance Building, Tilak Road)

External links

• "Abids, the Heart of Hyderabadis" - The Hindu 7th Oct, 2012 [1]
• "Proud heritage of Abids in a state of neglect" - Postnoon 23 July 2012 [2]