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Culture
Distinct linguistic and cultural traditions of North and South India meet and mingle in Hyderabad. Hyderabadis, as residents of the city are known, have developed a culture which is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim traditions. A typical Hyderabadi could be either a Telugu or a Urdu speaking person. The traditional Hyderabadi garb is Sherwani and Kurta Paijama for men, Khara Dupatta and Salwar kameez for women. Burqa and Hijab are commonly practised by the Muslim women in public. Most of the youth wear western clothing. Festivals celebrated in Hyderabad include the Ganesh Chaturthi, Bonalu, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Literature
Hyderabad received the royal patronage for arts, literature and architecture; this attracted men of letters and arts from different parts of the world to get settled in the city. Such multi-ethnic settlements popularised cultural events such as mushairas. The Qutb Shahi reign patronised the growth of Deccani Urdu literature—the Deccani Masnavi and Diwan (collection of poems) composed during this period are among the earliest available manuscripts in Urdu language. Nizam's reign saw many reforms in literary work, and introduction of Urdu as a language of court, administration and education. In 1824, a collection of Urdu Ghazals named Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa, penned by Mah Laqa Bai—the first female poet in Urdu—was published from Hyderabad.

The Hyderabad Literary Festival, held since 2010, is an annual event which showcases the city's literary and cultural aspects. Organisations engaged in research and development of literary works include are Sahitya Akedamy, Urdu Academy, Telugu Academy, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, The Comparative Literature Association of India and Andhra Saraswata Parishad. The State Central Library, Hyderabad, established in 1891, is the largest public library of Andhra Pradesh. The other major libraries are the Sri Krishna Devaraya Andhra Bhasha Nilayam, the British Library and the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram which also houses Urdu research center's collection.

Music, performing arts and films
In princely Hyderabad, the nobles had a tradition of courtesan dance and poetry, which led to certain styles of court music and dance. Taramati of the early 16th century and Mah Laqa Bai (18th century) are two courtesans who popularised Kathak dance. Besides the popularity of Western and other Indian popular musics such as the filmi music, the residents of Hyderabad play city-based Marfa Music especially during celebratory events such as marriage and festivals. The state government organizes "Golconda Music and Dance Festival", "Taramati Music Festival", and " Premavathi Dance Festival".

Though not noted for theatre and drama, the state government took efforts to promote the art of theater with multiple programs and festivals in Hyderabad. The Ravindra Bharati, Shilpakala Vedika and Lalithakala Thoranam are auditoria for theatre and performing arts in the city. The Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), also known as HITEX, has become well known venue address internationally. Numaish is a popular annual exhibition of local and national products.

Film-making in Hyderabad was started in 1917 by Lotus film Co. The city is home to the Telugu film industry popularly known as Tollywood, the second largest in India in terms of number of films made per year, after Bollywood. Since 2005, films in local Hyderabadi dialect have gained popularity. The city hosts the annual "International Children Film Festival" and the Hyderabad International Film Festival. In 2005, the Guinness World Records declared the Ramoji Film City located in Hyderabad as the world's largest film studio.

Art and handicraft
The Golconda and the Hyderabad styles are two branches of the Deccani school of painting. The Golconda style that originated in 16th century during Qutb Shahi sultans is an insightful native style with the blend of foreign techniques, sharing similarity with neighbouring Vijayanagara paintings. Significant use of luminous gold and white colours is generally found in Golconda style. The Hyderabad style of painting originated in the early 17th century. Highly influenced by the Mughal painting, this style makes use of bright colors, and mostly depicts regional landscape, culture, costumes and jewellery. A fine art metal handicraft Bidri ware was popularised in Hyderabad in the 18th century. The Bidri ware is an Geographical Indication (GI) awarded craft of India. The Kalamkari, a fine art of handicraft producing hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile is popular in the city. Museums in Hyderabad include the AP State Archaeology Museum, the Salar Jung Museum (housing "world largest one-man-collection"), the Nizam Museum, the City Museum, and the Birla Science Museum which contains a planetarium.

Architecture
A distinct Indo-Islamic architecture style mixed with regional styles is reflected in Hyderabad buildings, contributing to it being declared as the first "Best Heritage City of India" by the government of India, as of March 2012. The Qutb Shahi architecture of the 15th century is manifest in colossal arches found in Charminar, Mecca Masjid and Charkaman. This style built massive walls using granite and lime mortar as the chief ingredients. Later, from 17th century Asif Jahi architecture emerged. Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam VII, is called as the maker of modern Hyderabad. The buildings constructed during his reign are impressive and represent a rich variety of architecture. The structures such as the Osmania University, Osmania General Hospital and High Court are designed and constructed in the styles of medieval and the Mughal architecture. The Nizams applied the European styles in some of the constructions such as Falaknuma and King Kothi Palaces. The city houses many famous historical sites constructed during Qutb Shahi and Asif Jahi period, including the Golconda, Chowmahalla Palace, Purani Haveli, Andhra Pradesh Legislature and others.

Cuisine
Hyderabadi cuisine is prominent since the Nizams. The cuisine comprises repertoire of spices, rice, wheat and meat dishes. The Hyderabadi Biryani and Hyderabadi Haleem, with a blend of Mughlai and Arabic cuisine, have become iconic dishes of India. Hyderabadi cuisine is highly influenced by Mughals and partially by French, Arabic, Turkish and Irani food along with the influence of native Telugu and Marathwada cuisines where rice, wheat, spices and meat are widely used to great effect bringing in a unique taste to the Hyderabadi dishes. Other popular native dishes include Nahari, Kulche, Chakna, Baghara baingan and in desserts Qubani ka meetha, Double ka meetha and Kaddu Ki Kheer (a sweet porridge made with sweet gourd). Other popular cuisines among expatriates and other residents are south Indian, Italian, Mexican, Chinese and Continental. Coffee bars and pubs are also popular among the youth in the city.