Bahawalpur, which is located at the corner of Chohlistan desert, is a home to the beautiful and magnificent Noor Mahal. It is undoubtedly a glowing pearl and the most salient reminder of lavishness of the majestic family of Bahawalpur who ruled for decades over the area. It is highly unfortunate that despite its remarkable style of architecture, art and luxurious interiors Noor Mahal remained one of the veiled sides of South Punjab.

According to the legends, Sir Saqid Muhammad Khan IV, famous as the Shah Jahan of Bahawalpur commissioned the construction of this grand structure in the honor of his wife. It took straight three years and the construction of palace was completed in 1875, although she refused to live in the palace due to its proximity to a graveyard. Later the palace was used for the noble guests of the family and for official meetings and gatherings.

The building was planned by a British engineer Mr Heenan who took his inspiration from the style of Italian Chateau. The main building structure is surrounded with lush green landscape area including the polo grounds. Like many hybrid buildings of Pakistan, it came up as a fusion of Neo Classical architecture and traditional Islamic style. However, most of the materials which were used in interiors and exterior of the palace were imported all the way from Italy and England. Some of the major attractive interior design elements of the palace are the painted ceilings, marbleized columns, flooring and straight of the art furniture. The palace has a basement as well which was used by the staff. It includes watchman’s room, servant rooms, servant kitchen and dining room, chef’s room, chef’s office, food warming kitchen and a stair case which leads to the main hall of the palace. There is a central passage and stairs designed to connects this basement to front and rare side of the palace for the frequent staff movements.

Now, Noor Mahal has been declared as a protected monument by the Government of Pakistan along with the Department of Archeology. It is open for general public and becoming famous of its 3D lights and sound show over the weekends. It has majestic themed restaurant, a souvenir shops and food stalls and kiosks as well which engage the visitors throughout the day. Being one of the most stunning historical places in Pakistan, this palace has become a rather popular spot for educational, informative field trips and photo shoots in Bahawalpur.