The Noor Mahal (Urdu: نور محل) is a palace in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. It was built in 1872 like an Italian chateau on neoclassical lines, at a time when modernism had set in.
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, pediments 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.
Nawab Muhammad Behawal Khan the fifth added a mosque to the palace in 1906 at the cost of Rs. 20,000. The design is based on the mosque of Aitchison College.
In 1956, when Bahawalpur State was merged into Pakistan, 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.
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.
free iphone app
No comments:
Post a Comment