The ancient Golconda Fort near Hydrabad, India, was built by the Qutub Shahi kings. The site began as a mud fort atop a granite hill around 1150 by the Hindu Kakatiya dynasty. At that time it was known as Golla Konda (a Telugu word for Shepherd's Hill). It evolved through the centuries as a capital of a major province. The Qutb Shahi kings came into power around 1507 and expanded the original mud fort into a massive fort of granite about 5 km in circumference, with a 10 km outer wall surrounding the city. Seven generations of kings survived there, until around in 1687, before falling to Mughals after a 9 month siege (a guard was bribed to open a back gate.) Throughout the world, Golconda was associated with great wealth as it was where some of the world's famous diamonds (The Hope Diamond and The Regent Diamond among others) were mined and cut. Interestingly, the fort was designed with accoustics that allowed a guard at the main gate to warn those at the top of the fort, several hundred meters away, by clapping. Golconda is about 11 km west of Hyderabad.