Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

The Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur is Rajasthan’s oldest museum and one of the finest examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture in northern India. Located in the Ram Niwas Garden just outside the old city walls, the museum was designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob with assistance from Mir Tujumool Hoosain, and was formally opened to the public in 1887 by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II. Its foundation stone was laid in 1876 during a visit by Prince Albert Edward of Wales, after whom the museum is named. The building, constructed in marble and stone with elaborate carvings, domes, and ornate jali work, is illuminated at night in a spectacular display of coloured lights. The museum’s collection of over 19,000 objects is spread across 16 galleries on two floors and covers 15 categories including metal art, pottery, jewellery, garments and textiles, arms and armour, miniature paintings, musical instruments, clay art, sculptures, marble art, furniture, carpets, international art, ivory, and coins. Among the standout exhibits are an Egyptian mummy dating from 322 to 30 BCE, Pharaonic antiquities, a rare 17th-century Persian garden carpet, 4th to 10th century Hindu sculptures, and the famous blue pottery of Jaipur. The museum also hosts an evening sound and light show. It is open daily except on Holi and maintenance days.