Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

NOOR MAHAL - THE PALACE OF LIGHT

NOOR MAHAL - THE PALACE OF LIGHT

e I'm to share with You the beautiful "Noor Palace" which is amongst the most superb  and mesmerizing buildings of Pakistan. Noor Mahal, that is resplendent in its glory, is one of the memorials in Pakistan. Punjab’s state of Bahawalpur is quite famous for its majestically well-preserved palace that is none other than "Noor Mahal " that is nearly one hundred and fifty years old.

"Most attractive place to see, is a palace to see ;)"

Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

Noor Palace Interesting Facts

• The marvelous point about this Noor Palace is that no cement and iron are used during its construction. Whereas,The whole Noor Palace is made of mud, mixing the rice with pulses. :)

• Another important point to highlight here is that Its glorious façade and interiors were saved for posterity in drama serial Noor Bano, a modern day fairy tale.

The story behind Noor Palace

Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

• The story behind Noor Palace is interesting but visiting Noor palace is even more interesting. According to a lore, The palace was specifically constructed as a residence for Nawab Sadiq's bride Noor who had accepted his proposal just on the condition of building a palace for her. However, she stayed there only for one night, as she saw an adjoining graveyard (Basti Muluk Shah Graveyard) , from her balcony, and refused to stay there anymore and so it remained unused during his reign.Darbar Palace then became her place of residence.
• The hidden gem (Noor Mahal) is situated in Bahawalpur,Punjab, Pakistan, built in 1872 by Nawab Abbasi IV of Bahawalpur princely state, during Brititsh Raj.Its construction was completed in 1875.Its construction cost was about 1.19 million rupees at that time.this amount in 2016 would come to about 8.1 million US dollars.

Noor palace: Construction

Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

• Mr. Heennan, British engineer, designed the building. Its construction was undertaken by Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan the fourth, known as the Shan Jahan of Bahawalpur; because of his  great passion of constructing beautiful buildings just like Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It was mostly constructed with imported materials of central Europe. Most of the palace's materials and furniture were imported from England and Italy.

Noor Palace: Architecture

Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

• This building is a reflection of marvelous intricate details.The exterior as well as the interior of this palace is worth a praise. It was constructed just like an Italian chateau on neoclassical lines.This Noor palace exists with all its details, from furniture to wall paintings and even a piano (imported from Germany by Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi IV for his bride).

• Many valuable things are present in Noor Palace even today such as old swords, old currency, notes and coins, old laws that were made in that period, old furniture used by Nawabs etc.

Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

• The bigraphy of Abbasi Family, was given on a long wall of Noor Palace, in the form of attractive paintings. Most of which were made by western artists, contains imaginary pictures of Nawabs. Only one picture is real, all others are imaginary.

• The ceilings and floor tiles have been designed in complex geometrical shapes with many attractive colours.

• The Islamic style is evident in the five domes, whereas the angular elliptical shapes are a stroke of subcontinent style. The Corinthian touch can be seen in the vaulted ceiling of Durbar Hall.

• Noor Palace covers an area of 44,600 square feet. It is a two story castle having about 32 rooms including 14 in he basement, 6 verandas and 5 domes.This palace with all its charm is in the midst of an attractive flowerbed having a fountain and water container.

• It has its own primitive air conditioning system; pushing warm air out, small windows  were constructed on the roof of the palace and cool water would be poured in underground dungeon that would pass in the cool vapourated form through the openings at the floor of this palace. But now-a-days, air conditioners are operational in the Noor Palace.

Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

• A prison cell, aside the Noor Mahal, was also used to imprison people who had gone against the Nawab.

• When this Noor Palace was constructed, there was no concept of electricity but the structure of palace was made in such a great way that the whole palace illuminates. Once a week, a light and sound show is held at the palace displaying the splendour of the palace in all its glory.

Noor Mahal: Mosque

• Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan the fifth added a mosque to the Noor Palace in 1906 at the cost of Rs. 20,000. 
• A painting of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah playing pool at a table. The original table and pool sticks are preserved at the palace.

Noor Palace: “protected monument”

• The building was declared a “protected monument” in September 2001 by the Government of Pakistan's Department of Archeology. It is currently in the possession of the Pakistan Army.Besides the beautiful sights of the palace there is a hotel and children’s park to attract more visitors, and it is now open to public

Noor Mahal NOOR PALACE Bahawalpur

In short, Every nook and cranny of Noor Mahal is unique and mesmerizing .

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By: Hayat Maidah