HEH The Nizam's Museum

The Nizam's Museum is located in the once-upon-a-time stately Purani Haveli, the palace acquired around the year 1750 by the second Nizam and now converted into a museum with a fascinating collection (the palace was apparently built a staggering 400 years back, but still stands strong). You won't find too much of yesteryears' Nizamiian art, as all the classy artefacts are in the Salarjung Museum. But for a little bit of spicy Nizamian history, this is just what the doctor ordered.

The museum hosts the gifts and mementos presented to the last Nizam on the occasion of the silver jubilee celebrations in 1936 to mark the Haveli's birthday. The gifts alone would make this palace worthy of membership to the European Union - a stunning 1930 Rolls Royce (all glittering and attractice), a Packard (slighly ill-maintained, but classy nevertheless) and a Mark V Jaguar are among the vintage cars that were a part of the goodwill of the well-wishers and are now displayed to salivating car freaks.

For art lovers, there's an interesting collection of blue-print models, made in silver, of all the prominent buildings of the city including the A P High Court, the Osmania General Hospital, the Salarjung Museum, the Central Library and the Purani Haveli itself.

For the 'pious' visitors, there are citations in Urdu about H E H Mir Osman Ali Khan. A gold-burnished wooden throne used for the silver jubilee celebrations, a gold tiffin box inlaid with diamonds, a sizzling gold model of the Jubilee Pavilion, silver coffee cups studded with diamonds, and a silver filigree elephant with mahout are some of the items that will have your head spinning at the opulence on display.