Heritage Walk

The Heritage Walk at Taj Falaknuma Palace allows you to get better acquainted with the classic, timeless elegance of the Past, as it takes you through some of the world’s finest handmade tapestries, French brocades, royal portraits, beautifully crafted, inlaid furniture from Kashmir, porcelain of the highest quality, objet d’art from different corners of the globe as well as crockery from the Nizam’s personal collection.

Palace Library

Even if you read a book a day, it would still take you more than 16 years to go through the entire collection of the rarest books and manuscripts which make up the Palace Library. A replica of the one at Windsor Castle with its teak and rosewood book-lined walls, the Imperial Library at Taj Falaknuma Palace has something for every book lover as it traverses both time and subject. Included in the 5900 books on literature, art, history and religion are First Editions of the epic romance Titanic, Encyclopaedias from the turn of the last century and one of the most revered and acclaimed collections of the Holy Quran in the country.

The Billiards Room

There is Snooker. And then there is Snooker on a custom-made table, built specially for the Nizam by Burroughs and Watts from London. Brandy and Billiards almost become incidental to a place where beauty is celebrated with unrestrained enthusiasm. Embossed leather panelling marries well with the gold and the red of the drapes which cloak the area in its opulence. Those waiting between shots can plot their next move on elevated, carved leather seating under which was once unearthed an ivory-handled cue stick engraved with the initials of the Nizam.

Champagne Palace Walk

The Champagne Palace Walk starts at the hour of sunset but ends in an altogether different time. A time when the Nizam was rumoured to be the richest man in the world. A time when polo playing royalty, martini-soaked lunches and princesses in billowing chiffons with emeralds the size of chandeliers played a part in tales of royal debauchery, extravagance, drama and deception. The Palace Historian will recount astonishing legends and myths about a dynasty mired in romance and mystery, set in the fitting milieu of palaces, wealth and women.

The Smoking Room

Boys will be men in the Palace’s Smoking Room, an area off-limits to women even today. An ode to exaggerated whimsical masculinity, this room is distinctive with its patterned leather walls, timbered ceiling and is finished in rich mahogany wood. If cigars aren’t your thing, walnut wood screens give you semi-private access to a range of beautifully crafted ‘hukkas’ transporting you to an era where smoking was as much an art as it was a way to pass the time.

Bespoke Tailoring

If all you have is a day or two to feel and look the part of a Hyderabadi nawab, then that is all the time you need. Your valet or concierge can organize custom-made Sherwanis in beautiful fabrics and flattering silhouettes. It can be turned around almost overnight in a city noted for its contribution to Indian fashion, and all at good prices.