Historical Places

Salarjung Museum


The Salar Jung Museum is an art museum on the southern bank of the Musi river in the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The museum opened to the public on December 16, 1951; it houses the collection of the
Salar Jung family, who were important nobles in the courts of the Nizams , Muslim rulers of Hyderabad. The collection of Islamic art from all over Asia includes a variety of illuminated Korans,astrolabes, jewelled swords and daggers, and Persian carpets

The museum also houses fine examples of European painting and sculpture, most famously the "Veiled Rebecca" of Italian sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni, as well as Chinese and Japanese pieces. The collection was mostly acquired by Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, also known as Salar Jung III. Some of the items he inherited were collected by his father, Nawab Mir Laiq Khan (Salar Jung II) and his grandfather, Nawab Mir Turab Ali Khan (Sir Salar Jung I).

Situated on the southern bank of the river Musi ,the Salar Jung Museum is not far from the other important monuments of the old city. The historic Charminar, Juma Masjid, High Court, State Central Library and the Osmania General Hospital are all within a radius of one mile from the
Salar Jung Museum.

The museum houses the largest and greatest collection of antiques and artifacts by a single person, Nawab Salar Jung III, Prime Minister of the court of Nizam. From minia- tures of Mewar to modern art of Europe; from the daggers of Nur Jehan and Emperor Jahangir the museum houses priceless gems of art A place that will leave you dazed with the dazzle of time-less art.

There are 38 galleries in the Museum spread on two floors. The ground floor has 20 galleries, and the first floor has 18 galleries. Even then, the total exhibited art objects constitute a little over 25% of the entire collection. The Indian Parliament has declared the museum an Institution of National Importance