There are many famous museums all over the world that represent mankind’s efforts to preserve invaluable antiques, for the posterity. One such historic building is Salarjung Museum, located on the southern banks of Musi River. It has a unique distinction as the third largest museum in India. It enjoys a worldwide fame for its largest one-man collections of antiques. It is widely known in India for its prized collections dating back to different civilizations.

Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Salar Jung III, the former Prime Minister of the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, spent most of his income over a period of thirty-five years to gather such priceless collections, which was his passion, according to historians. The collections that was left behind in his ancestral Diwan Deodi palace were exhibited earlier as a private museum that was inaugurated by the then PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951. Later in the year 1968, the museum was shifted to its current location in Afzalgunj.

The Museum is a royal treat for art collectors with nearly 43,000 art objects and 50,000 priceless books and manuscripts. The collections range from Indian Art, Middle Eastern Art, European Art, Far Eastern Art, Children Art etc. There is also a founder’s gallery and a rare manuscript division. Indian Art forms include collections of stone sculptures, jade carvings, painted textiles, bronze images, miniature paintings, woodcarvings, modern art, textiles, metal-ware, arms & armor, ivory carvings etc.

The Middle Eastern Art section features an exquisite collection of carpets, glass, furniture, metal-ware, lacquer etc. from Arabia, Persia, Syria, and Egypt. Collection of Far Eastern Art covers lacquer ware, porcelain, enamel, bronze, embroidery, wood & inlay work, paintings from Tibet, China, Japan, Nepal and Thailand etc. Oil and watercolor paintings also constitute an important part of the European Collection. It also houses the world-famous statue of Veiled Rebecca and Marguerite and Mephistopheles, a fine collection of jade, daggers owned by Queen Noor Jahan, Emperors Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb’s sword and other timeless masterpieces.

How to Reach

Salarjung Museum, located close to Hyderabad High Court, is at a distance of nearly 4 km from Nampally, the heart of Hyderabad. It is well-accessible by road.