Accompanying Persons Programme

Please read this programme in conjunction with the conference Bus Time-Table.

Friday 28 November

 

0830    Buses collect all delegates and accompanying persons from the Hotel Ista, Ellaa Suites, Kasani GR and Tara Residency, and bring them to the Novotel/HICC.

0900    Inaugural Session (Hall 6, HICC Ground Floor).

All accompanying persons are invited to attend the Inaugural Session, and the first Plenary session (if they wish).

1230     Lunch with the delegates in Halls 1 & 2, HICC Ground Floor.

1300    Buses depart from the Novotel/HICC for Golconda Fort and Qutub Shahi Tombs.

Golconda (meaning Shepherd’s Hill) Fort dates back to the early 13th Century, when a mud fort stood on the site;  but it was transformed in the 16th Century into a fortified city of grand palaces, mosques and gardens.  It was the citadel of the Qutub Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Hyderabad region from 1507 – 1687.   The fortress is built on a granite hill, 120 metres high, and is protected by massive, crenellated ramparts.   The outer wall is 10 km long and boasts 87 semi-circular bastions, some still mounted with cannons, eight gateways and four drawbridges.  An important feature of the fort’s defences were the accoustic qualities of the large-domed Grand Portico, where even a soft hand-clap would be (and still is) heard in the king’s chambers, a kilometre away at the highest point of the fortress.

The Qutub Shahi Tombs (1 km north west of Golconda Fort), planned and built by the Qutub Shahi themselves, are said to be the oldest historical monuments in Hyderabad.   Seven rulers are buried in this royal necropolis, which is laid out in gardens with water channels, pools and tree-lined pathways.   The architecture is eclectic, embracing Persian, Pathan and Hindu styles.

You will be returned to your hotels. 

Please wear comfortable shoes for walking.  

1800    Buses depart from ALL of the above hotels and the Novotel for the University of Hyderabad.

1845    Cultural Event in the University of Hyderabad Auditorium, followed by Dinner on the University of Hyderabad Campus.

2100    Buses will depart from the University of Hyderabad campus for the above-named hotels.

 

Saturday 29 November

0830    Buses collect all delegates and accompanying persons from the Hotel Ista, Ellaa Suites, Kasani GR and Tara Residency, and bring them to the Novotel/HICC.

0900    Buses will depart from the Novotel/HICC for a full day out.   Visits will include, not necessarily in this order:

• Salar Jung Museum:  this museum houses a vast and wide-ranging collection of artefacts acquired, for the most part, by Salar Jung III (1889 – 1949).   There are examples of Indian, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and European art;  and particularly notable exhibits include rare Arabic, Urdu and Persian manuscripts; a delicate marble statue of a woman seen through her veil (The Veiled Rebecca);  and an outstanding Mughal jade collection.

• Lunch in a “Hyderabad House”  -  i.e. a restaurant serving typical Hyderabad foods.

• The Charminar (“Four Towers”):  perhaps the signature of Hyderabad, the Charminar, in the heart of the Old City, was built by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah in 1591 of granite, lime, mortar and pulverised marble.   Each side is 20 metres long while each arch is 11 metres wide and rises 20 metres to the pinnacle from the plinth.   There are spiral stairways (149 steps) in the minarets and the climb rewards the energetic with a panoramic view of the city.

• Mecca Masjid:  close to the Charminar, this huge mosque was built between 1617 and 1694 and is so named because it has bricks from Mecca embedded in its central arch.   Sometimes described as “poetry in stone”, the Masjid is the burial place of several Nizams.

• Shopping:  in the bazaars around the Charminar  -  famed for their pearls, bangles, silks etc.

You will be returned to your hotels around 16.30.

1815    Buses depart from above-named hotels for the Chowmahalla Palace.

1900    Dinner at the Chowmahalla Palace, just outside the old city.

2100    Buses depart from Chowmahalla Palace for the above-named hotels.

 

Sunday 30 November

0830    Buses collect all delegates and accompanying persons from the Hotel Ista, Ellaa Suites, Kasani GR and Tara Residency, and bring them to the Novotel/HICC.

0900    Buses depart from the Novotel/HICC for Hussain Sagar Lake, which was constructed in 1562 by Hussain Shah Wali.   In the middle of the lake is one of the world’s tallest monolithic statues of Buddha, which stands 17.5 metres high and weighs 350 kg.   If boat schedules allow, a trip to the Buddha will be included.

1230   Lunch will be provided in Halls 1 & 2 of the HICC, along with the conference delegates.

1330   Relax in the Novotel until:

1500    Buses depart from the Novotel/HICC for the Craft Village (about 10 – 15 minutes from the HICC) for shopping.

1630    Buses return from the Craft Village to the Novotel/HICC.

1700    Buses depart from the Novotel/HICC for Golconda Fort (N.B. By the time we reach Golconda, it will be dark, and you will not be able to see anything like as much as during the daylight visit on Friday afternoon.)

 

 

The Accompanying Persons' programme is intended for the husbands, wives, partners, friends and/or children of registered delegates.  With the exception of the Opening Ceremony  Accompanying Persons will not normally be admitted to conference sessions.

The Accompanying Persons' registration fee includes:

• Airport transfers on arrival and departure  -  by coach or minibus.  (Private transfers may be booked, at own cost, and paid for through SITA India, www.sitamice.com, if desired)
  
• Local ground transportation, at specified times, between the designated conference hotels and the evening venues
• Lunch, refreshment breaks and dinners, if participating in the organised events
• At least one tour on each of the three days, to include as options the 16th century Golconda Fort;  one or more of the wonderful museums (e.g. the Salar Jung and the Nizam museums);  shopping at the Charminar bazaar (famous for its pearls);  the botanical gardens;  Hussain Sagar Lake and the Mecca Masjid
• Accompanying person's bag.