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Hyderabad: The Qutb Shahi Tombs are now sporting a new look after the refurbished tombs of Taramati and Premamati were unveiled on Tuesday by US Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster.

The US Consulate General Hyderabad financially patronized the Aga Khan Foundation for the conservation and preservation of two tombs under the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

As dusk crept over the Mughal garden that frames Humayun's tomb, the summer air was sodden with heat. In the copious shade of a giant, gnarled ficus tree planted almost a century ago, the temperature hovered around 100 degrees and the occasional breeze could have come from the panting of a dragon. The sounds of India's past and present echoed across the grassy lawns. This was the same bird song that the Mughal rulers themselves must have heard more than 500 years ago. Trees shimmered with the twittering of thousands of tiny starlings.

The Paigah Tombs are just 4 km southeast of Charminar and yet, it is hard to find them, lost as they are in a maze of alleys. Blink and you could miss the entrance, hidden behind a tree in a quiet street, not far from Owaisi Hospital. The lime and mortar tombs are 200 years old and house the final resting place of several members of the Paigah family, who distinguished themselves in every field, while being loyal to the Nizams. Rahmatullah, the caretaker, is all praise for the Archaeology Department that took up the protection of this place in 1989.