Salar Jung Museum

The Salar Jung Museum, on Salar Jung Road in Darushifa near Afzal Gunj in Hyderabad, Telangana, is one of India's largest one-man collections, assembled by Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, and the Salar Jung family. The museum holds about 46,000 objects spread across 38 galleries, covering Indian, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and European art. Highlights include the Veiled Rebecca, a marble sculpture in which a translucent veil appears carved from stone, and the double-figure statue of Mephistopheles and Margaretta. Other galleries hold jade, ivory carvings, miniature paintings, manuscripts, textiles, arms and armour, clocks and furniture, and there are rooms devoted to Persian carpets and Chinese porcelain. The most popular attraction outside the galleries is the musical clock in the courtyard, where a figure emerges to strike the hour with a crowd assembled to watch. Visitors move through the galleries on a fixed route and should allow three to four hours, since the collection is extensive and rewards careful looking. Photography inside the galleries is restricted, so pictures are best taken of the building's facade and the courtyard clock. Crowds are thickest on weekends, public holidays and when school groups arrive, and quieter on weekday mornings soon after opening at 10:00AM. The museum is closed on Fridays. Admission is INR 50 for Indian nationals and INR 500 for foreign visitors, with concessional or free entry for younger children, and fees can change, so check the official site. The museum is reached by metro to Nampally followed by an auto, by bus to Afzalgunj, or by a short auto ride of about ten minutes from Charminar. Visitors are advised to wear comfortable shoes and plan a meal break, as the galleries are spread across two levels and several wings.