The splendor of the Nizams may have faded, but Hyderabad is still doing pretty well for itself. If you catch a cab in from the airport into town, you’ll pass extraordinary shopping malls, palatial houses and high-end apartment complexes — there is some serious cash here. Today, it’s more likely to be Big Tech than Big Diamond that’s behind it: Hyderabad now challenges Bangalore as the Silicon Valley of India, and it’s the heart of the booming Telugu-language film industry, Tollywood.

In the historic city center, however, it’s a different story. Although Hyderabad today is nearly three quarters Hindu, you can feel its Muslim roots the moment you step into the old city. The central bazaar radiates out from the imposing, four-towered Charminar, built in 1591 by the Qutb Shahs when they moved his capital here from nearby Golconda. Here, tradition still dominates, with cafés serving Irani chai, and women in burkas haggling for fruit and veg at tarp-covered market stalls. Vendors thread through the crowds with armfuls of rugs and peacock feathers, and during Eid the whole town goes wild for haleem: a sloppy meat stew that (thankfully) tastes a lot better than it looks.

There are plenty of cheap souvenirs to be found — including plastic-wrapped jewelry encrusted with fake gems which, in the city that produced the Hope Diamond and the Koh-i-Noor, must have the nizams turning in their graves — but the atmosphere remains strongly traditional and endless fun.

When you’re done browsing, head out to the ruins of Golconda to see where it all began. If you climb the fort and look out over the domes of the Qutb tombs, you’ll see the whole city spread at your feet, the Deccan foothills shimmering beyond.