This article discusses the earliest phase of Golconda’s development, its foundation in the fourteenth century. This period is significant in the subsequent history of the site because the fourteenth-century core was transformed into the royal center in the sixteenth century and thus remained at the heart of the city throughout its history. By focusing on this aspect of the fort, the article adds to the corpus of work on medieval Indian forts, contributing to the state of knowledge of a subject in need of further study. In addition, it places the foundation of Golconda within the context of the development of the Deccan in the fourteenth century, a period which saw the construction of many forts in response to the incursions into this area by the Khalji and Tughluq sultanates of the north. These incursions had the effect of overturning the three local dynasties that had ruled the Deccan for over two centuries, and ultimately changed the way in which fortifications were constructed in the Deccan from that point forward.

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