Intro to the North

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We left Visthar early on November 10th and headed to the Bangalore airport where we caught a flight to Hyderabad. We were all exhausted when we got there, and luckily, they had a fairly relaxed day planned for us, we visited an art museum and then had time for an afternoon nap.

We stayed at a Catholic run retreat center that was fairly comfortable. Our purpose in Hyderabad was to study Islam since roughly 80% of the city’s population is Muslim. For the most part, our lectures were given or facilitated by a Catholic priest who is a scholar of Islam. He had such a grasp of the religion that he could literally step in and out of character, talking to us both as a Christian and as a Muslim; he was a powerful speaker and a great resource for gaining perspective on a very misunderstood religion.

Our group was in Hyderabad for a total of six days, and in that time we were fortunate to have the opportunities to visit some important historical sites and attractions. Our group went to Mecca Masjid; locals are especially proud of this mosque because it contains stones brought from Mecca. Emily and I braved the lines and ridiculously inflated price for tourists and had the chance to tour Charminar, a structure of four tours from which we could get a great view of the city and the bustling market surrounding the mosque. Another highlight was Golconda Fort; we arrived at sunset just in time for the nightly light show explaining the local history.

Hyderabad is known mainly for bangles and pearls. There are entire markets where all you see are bangles of every size, color, material, design, and quality imaginable. Many women here wear 7-12 bangles on each wrist, always coordinating with their saris or salwaars, and after experiencing the liveliness of the bangle market, it’s easy to understand their enthusiasm for their jewelry. Pearls aren’t as visible on the street, but if you’re into window shopping, you can find artisans stringing together beautiful combinations of pearls of every imaginable color and shape. A couple of artisans came to our hotel with some of their good one night, and we all had lots of fun learning about their craft.

All in all, Hyderabad was an enjoyable city. I’m especially appreciate how open people were in talking about their religion and how eager they were to help us learn. I’m beginning to realize that learning about other religions is a vital part of defining my own faith.

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