Middle East students call Old City ‘home’

HYDERABAD: After Bahijah, a Yemen national, completed his schooling he decided he would move to Hyderabad for higher studies. Bahijah’s decision wasn’t only rooted in the fact that colleges in Yemen were rather expensive and the quality of education not very good, but also because he has several relatives in Hyderabad.
He also wanted to meet his stepmother and half brothers, who reside in Barkas.He took admission in Osmania University and has been here for more than two years. While he stays in a flat in Tarnaka, in the month of Ramzan, he makes it a point to meet his father’s third wife and taste the Harees (sweet Haleem) that she serves. “I am welcomed to the house with dates and Qawah (Arabian coffee), just like it happens in my country.”
Asal Hyderabad, besides being home to people from various communities and religions, is also a place the Middle Eastern folks call their own. Be it for the commonality of culture, or much deeper family roots, Old City never fails to charm these people. With thousands of students from countries like Sudan, Oman or Syria migrating each year to the universities in Hyderabad, it is not just academics but blood bonds they share with the city that draws them to it.
Old City residents couldn’t agree more. Local resident, Mujeeb Ahmed Khan says, “Two of my daughters are married in the Middle East and this has been happening over generations. It is only expected that many Arabic students are connected to us by blood.” He is presently hosting two students from University of Hyderabad at his residence near Chattabazaar, who are his distant relatives. “They are visiting the city for the first time. When they have family here, why should they go and stay at a rented apartment,” he questions.
Abdullah, from Syria, claims that Hyderabad is their first choice for higher education as students like him do not feel out of place here. Topping the list of other things apart from blood ties that attract the Middle Eastern folks to the Old City is food. Be it a bowl of Shorba or a Shirmal to go with it, Najwa, a Lebanese student finds the cuisines available in Hyderabad irresistible.
“Breakfast, lunch or dinner, Charminar area never fails to surprise you with its delicacies,” she says. Hamzah, from Saudi Arabia, swears on the first floor seating arrangement in Shadaab. “It gives us a feel of the country we have left behind.” Jahangeeri Kebab centre and the stall near the Charminar police station draw huge crowds for their special kebabs. A lot of them also venture to this part of the city searching for good quality beef or mutton which they can take back home and cook.
This fondness for Hyderabadi food even inspired Hannu from Sudan to open a small shop behind the English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) two years ago, where he served his Indian counterparts Shawarma. While doing his course at Eflu, he rented a garage and opened up his shop. Ask him why and he has his love for Hyderabad to offer. “This city, especially the Charminar area, gives each of us so much in terms of food, culture and of course education. This was my little way of paying back to the city and my Indian friends.”
Another major attraction here for these groups from the Middle East is ‘Qat’ leaves, which is a natural energizer and is widely chewed by them. Shopping for sherwanis or bangles in the Old City before their each visit back home is a must. They also love to scour the Old City lanes, specially Laad Bazaar, for another specialty __ meat pickle.
“We are always on a prowl for any invitation to Muslim marriages in the Old City. They are one of a kind, so is the food they serve,” says Ahmose, a foodie from Egypt, who has been studying in the city for more than two years. Although well connected by MMTS service, a lot of them crib about the distance from these universities to the Old City. “Old City is the asal Hyderabad. If only our universities were located there!” Mohammad Ali, student of OU, from Kuwait, signs off.