Bhopal also known as the 'City of Royals' has a long, important history. Between 1819 and 1926, it was ruled by the generation of Begums for over 100 years, who gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system, and a municipality. Between 1819 and 1926, it was ruled by the generation of Begums for over 100 years, who gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system, and a municipality. The four Queens, Qudsia Begum (1819-37), Sikander Begum (1844-68), Shah Jahan Begum (1868-1901), and Sultan Jahan Begum (1901-1926) were great reformists and patrons of education, art, culture and public works. They also built several great monuments, which still stand as testimonies to the city's celebrated past.