My sister, mother, niece and I went sightseeing today to see the Chowmohalla Palace near Charminar. First, a picture of Charminar, the distinctive landmark of my city, Hyderabad.

Chowmohalla is a complex of 4 palaces (which is what its name means) around a spacious courtyard with a fountain/pool in the centre. The largest is the Khilwat, which has a large durbar hall with a marble dais for the seat of the Nizam. The entire durbar hall is lit by 19 Belgian crystal chandeliers. Upstairs they currently have an exhibition of period textiles. We were not allowed to photograph either of the exhibits, but I have a couple of picture of the outside of Khilwat Mahal, front, back and side.

The entire complex is being restored by the Nizam’s family, to whom it still belongs. There was also a photography exhibition of photos of the Nizam’s family form early last century. We found some smaller interesting details, such as this seal on some fireproof almirahs made in 1857:

and the work on these doors and windows:

Plus, being the flower spotters that we are, we also liked these pink and white hibiscus: