The excavations have yielded antiquities such as stone elements, cannon balls, pestle and mortar, fragments of ceramic glazed tiles and lamps with multiple tongues to hold oil and wicks. It appears these lamps were used in the tombs on festive days and on the occasion of the Urs of the deceased etc.
Blue & White Porcelain
Amongst the antiquities are a few blue and white Chinese pottery pieces belonging to the Wanli period (1573–1620 AD) in China and subsequent periods. The rule of Chinese Emperor Wan li roughly coincides with the period of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1580-1611 AD). After the entry of Europeans in to the trade of Chinese pottery, Masulipatnam became an important centre for supplying the ware to later Qutb Shahi kings and Nizams. The Portuguese and the Dutch with their colonies in Canton and Batavia used to supply Chinese pieces not only to Asian countries but also to European nations also.
Tiles
During several scientific trenching at different parts of the site, several pieces of glazed tiles were found of different colours like blue, turquoise, yellow, green, orange, grey and brown. Several tombs and monuments during the Qutb Shahi dynasty were covered with glazed tiles, like the famous Badshahi Ashurkhana, tomb of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah and the tomb of the fifth king, Mohd. Qutb Shah. Several of the tiles on these monuments have now gone missing. Sample of each colour of tile has been tested at University of Oxford and University of Turin to understand the composition of the tile body and glaze and to get a better understanding of the tile production process.
Celadon
Also found were fragments of Celadon-ware known in China as Qinci (greenish pottery) is popular in Asian countries as poison plates, as it was widely believed to possess the quality to detect poison in food either by changing its colour or splitting it into two. This attributed quality made it one of the most trusted and sought after item. The ware was often gifted as a tribute item to royalty and many royal families have a rich collection of it. On the basis of various colour shades the pottery has been categorised in to olive green, grass green, and sea green.
Although there were number of production centres of the pottery, the well known places are Jingde Zhen in Jianxi province and long quan on the bank of the Ojian River.
Glazed Pottery
Glazed pottery coated with a thin layer of film glaze to make it insular has been reported from Qutb Shahi Tombs. The pottery is divided into two on the basis of the materials by which it was made. The first group was made of sandy friable materials of whitish colour with moderate cohesive strength. After the preparation of the body, it was dipped in to a thin layer of glaze which is a mixture minerals and chemicals.
The second variety is known as terracotta glazed ware in which the body is made of ordinary earthen ware and then dipped into a glaze solution so that the entire earthen body is covered with glaze. Glazed pottery came to India from West Asia along with Muslim migration in the wake of the conquest of the country in 1192 AD. The ware has been reported from all the excavations conducted in various Muslim Urban centres. Noteworthy shapes reported are dishes, bowls, vases, trays, dish on stand, surahis and jars.
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- Archaeology Exhibit In Qutb Shahi Heritage Park: Conservation and Landscape Restoration. Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2016.