Secunderabad or
Sikandar-a-bad , popularly known as the
twin city of
Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of
Telangana. Named after
Sikandar Jah, the third
Nizam of the
Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 as a
British cantonment. Although
Hyderabad and Secunderabad are together referred to as the twin cities, they have both different histories and cultures, with Secunderabad having developed directly under
British rule until 1948 and Hyderabad as the capital of the
Nizams' princely state. Geographically divided from Hyderabad by the
Hussain Sagar lake, Secunderabad is no longer a separate municipal unit and has become part of Hyderabad. Both cities are collectively known as Hyderabad and together form the sixth largest metropolis in
India. Being one of the largest cantonments in India, Secunderabad has a large presence of army and air force personnel.