The Noor Mahal () is a historic real estate owned by the

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

(MoD) under the management of the Army Secretariat in

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur (Urdu: ; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 13th largest city of Pakistan and List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 8th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division. Founded in ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It was built in 1872 as an Italian chateau on neoclassical lines, at a time when modernism had set in. It belonged to the Nawabs of

princely state, during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

History

Mr. Heennan, an Englishman who was the state engineer, designed the building. The foundation of Noor Palace was laid in 1872. A map and coins of the state were buried in its foundation as a good omen. Most of the palace's materials and furniture were imported from

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and

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. The construction of the palace was completed in 1875 at a cost of Rs. 1.2 million. The palace was originally constructed to serve as a residence for the Nawabs of the Bahawalpur princely state during the British Raj era. Nawab Sadiq Khan IV, who was known for his love of architecture and often compared to Shahjahan of Bahawalpur, commissioned the palace for his wife, Noor. However, after spending only one night in the palace, Noor decided not to return due to its close proximity to the Basti Malook Shah

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

, which was visible from her

balcony A balcony (from , "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. They are commonly found on multi-level houses, apartme ...

. She instead chose to reside in

Darbar Mahal Darbar Mahal is a palace in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The building was built to hold courtly events and government offices of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The palace sits in a garden. The entire palace complex was leased to the armed f ...

. On January 11, 1890, Prince Albert Victor visited the palace. From December 22 to 24, 1892, Sir McOrth Beck, a senior finance commissioner of Punjab, and his family stayed at the palace. The palace also served as the location for the celebration of Queen Victoria's 60th birthday on May 11, 1897. In 1906, Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan the fifth added a mosque to the palace at the cost of Rs. 20,000. On February 9, 1933, an important event was held at Noor Mahal to celebrate the union between the British Government and the Bahawalpur State. The State of Bahawalpur also celebrated its 10-year jubilee at the palace on March 8, 1934. In 1956, when Bahawalpur State was merged into

, the building was taken over by the Auqaf department. The palace was leased to the army in 1971; in 1997 the army purchased it for the sum of 119 million.

Architecture

Noor Palace covers an area of . It has 32 rooms including 14 in the basement, 6 verandas and 5 domes. The design encompasses features of Corinthian and Islamic styles of architecture with a tinge of subcontinental style. The Corinthian touch is visible in the columns,

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

s and the vaulted ceiling of Durbar Hall. The Islamic style is evident in the five domes, whereas the angular elliptical shapes are a stroke of subcontinent style. The building was declared a "protected monument" in September 2001 by the Government of Pakistan's Department of Archeology, and it is now open for general visitors, students trips and other interested persons.

Gallery

File:NoorMahalbwp.JPG, A night view of the Noor Mahal File:NoorMahal1.JPG, Side view of the Noor Mahal File:Noor Mehal-1.jpg File:Beautiful Noor Mahal palace.jpg, Noor Mahal front view day time File:Noor Mahal, Bahwalpur.jpg, Noor Mahal After Rain File:Dinning room of Noor Mahal.jpg, A beautiful dining room at Noor Mahal for visitors File:Noor Mahal decorative tile floor.jpg, Noor Mahal decorative tile floors File:Display of knives in the Noor Mahal Bahawalpur.jpg, Display of historical knives at wall of Noor Mahal File:Noor Mahal Balcony.jpg, A beautiful Balcony at Noor Mahal

References

External links

Noor Mahal Bahawalpur - information and pictures
{{Ministry of Defence (Pakistan) Palaces in Pakistan Buildings and structures in Bahawalpur Royal residences in Pakistan Houses completed in 1872 Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture Tourist attractions in Bahawalpur Pakistan Army Military headquarters in Pakistan

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links