The Nizam’s Museum, located in Purani Haveli (Masarrat Mahal) was established in February 2000 by the H.E.H. The Nizam’s Jubilee Pavilion Trust, a not for profit organisation formed in 1957.
The Jubilee Pavilion Hall was built by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, to store the gifts and mementoes presented to him on the occasion of the completion of 25 years of his rule in 1936. As the collection grew the Nizam founded Jubilee Pavilion Trust for its upkeep.
The exhibits, like the golden throne used for the silver jubilee celebrations, a gold tiffin box inlaid with diamonds, a writing box with mother-of-pearl embellishments and a miniature silver replica of the Jubilee Hall, speak of the opulence of the royal family. The museum also allows visitors access to the 176 feet long Burma teak walk-in wardrobe of Nawab Mir Mahbub Ali Khan (the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad). It displays the recreation of his wardrobe based on photographs since the Nizam did not repeat his clothes and gave them away after one wear.
The museum was also the target of a robbery in 2018 where artefacts worth several crore rupees were stolen. The culprits were caught and the artefacts were retrieved but in a curious incident, the thieves were found to be using one of the stolen artefacts, the gold tiffin box, to store their own lunch.
