FalakNuma (Mirror of the Sky) belong to the Paigah family, and later owned by Nizam, is believed
to be one of the most startling palaces of Hyderabad.
It was built by Nawab
Vikar-ul-Umra, the then-prime minister of Hyderabad
and the uncle and brother-in-law of H.H. The Nizam VI, Nawab Mir Mahboob Ali
Khan Bahadur.
The palace has as many as 220 lavishly decorated rooms
and 22 spacious halls. It has some of the finest treasures collections of the
Nizam. Falaknuma houses a large collection of rare treasures including
paintings, statues, furniture, manuscripts and books.
The jade collection of the palace is considered to be
unique in the world.
The famed dining hall could seat 100 guests at its table.
The chairs were made of carved rosewood with green leather upholstery. The
tableware was made of gold and crystal to which fluted music was added.
The palace has a library with a walnut carved roof: a
replica of the one at Windsor Castle. The library had one of the finest
collections of the Quran in India.
Taj Hotels took over the property in early 2000 to
renovate and convert into a heritage hotels. Opened in November 2010 the hotel
is a must visit for its yummy High-Tea between 4 to 7 pm everyday (call for
prior appointment to gain entry into the hotel).
Never had the time to look around as whole, but whatsoever
little we saw was hypnotizing.
Thanks to my dearest Jonty for the detour of this wonderful
palace.
