Hyderabad: Among the handful of museums in the city, the Salar Jung museum is literally on every tourist’s list of must-see places. However, a lesser-known museum and something that history lovers will equally love is The Nizam’s Museum, which is in fact close to the Salar Jung itself.
Hidden somewhere in the bylanes of Purani Haveli in Hyderabad’s Old City, HEH The Nizam’s Museum is quite possibly one of the best places to learn about the city’s heritage and history. The space hosts severa artefacts, including gold and silver models of monuments and other items that were gifted to Hyderabad’s last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, during his 25th silver jubilee anniversary.
What makes it a more interesting place is that the museum is situated inside the wing of the Purani Haveli palace, which belongs to the family of the last Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan. The other parts of the palace have educational institutions functioning out of it which is run by a trust.
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After one reaches the museum, a spiral of old wooden stairs takes us upstairs and into the display of artefacts. From maps to scale models of infrastructure built under the Nizam’s, the museum is a treat for anyone looking to deep dive into Hyderabad’s history. One gets a glimpse of the opulent lives of the Nizam’s thanks to the exhibits in place there.
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But the Nizam’s Museum also has something peculiar and astounding apart from its collections. It has a 176-feet walk-in wardrobe of the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahbub Ali Pasha, who reportedly never repeated his clothes. The wardrobe itself certainly makes for a very interesting place by itself, and the Nizams’ Museum also houses a manually operated lift that is about 150 years old.
The Nizam’s Museum in fact one can say is a more complete space for learning, given that it has information on how Hyderabad was founded and also other related material towards the end. One could say it is perhaps the best place to have a rounded view of the city, especially from a learning perspective.
Getting to the place can be a little tricky via Google Maps. It is situated in the adjacent lane of the Princess Durru Shevar Hospital, inside the Mukarram Jah School premises. It is run by the Museum’s (NJPT) Nizam’s Jubilee Pavillion Trust. Its board of members are chairman Prince Muffakham Jah Bahadur (grandson of Osman Ali Khan), trustees, secretary (njpt) Aparna Shankar and administrative Officer Syed Hyder Hussaini.