england rail map Nowhere suits the term fit for royalty better than at the Falaknuma Palace, the former residence of

Nowhere suits the term fit for royalty better than at the Falaknuma Palace, the former residence of the sixth nizam. Taking over a decade to restore, the Taj Group s latest luxury hotel has most certainly been worth the wait. The cheapest rooms have Italian marble floors, colonial furniture and great city views, while the Presidential Suite (an astounding 500,000 per night) was

Mughal empire. In the 18th century the post-Mughal rulers in Hyderabad, known as nizams, retained relative control as the British and French vied for trade, though their power gradually weakened. The region became part of independent India in 1947, and in 1956 the state of Andhra Pradesh, an amalgamation of Telugu-speaking areas plus the predominantly Urdu-speaking capital, was created.

Hotel Mamata Lodge HOTEL $ (%2225873; 1st fl, 170 TP Area; s/d/tr & q 200/300/400) A friendly, spick-and-span cheapie. Some of the sheets are stained, but they re tucked in tight and lovingly patched with white squares. Avoid the downstairs lodge of the same name.

HEH the Nizam s Museum MUSEUM (Purani Haveli; Map p900; adult/student 70/15, camera 150; h10am-5pm Sat-Thu) The 16th-century Purani Haveli was home of the sixth nizam, Fath Jang Mahbub Ali Khan (r 1869 1911), rumoured to have never worn the same garment twice. His 72m-long, two-storey Burmese teak wardrobe, the first room you ll enter, england rail map certainly england rail map seems to substantiate the claim. In the palace s former servants quarters are personal effects of the seventh nizam, Osman Ali Khan (1886 1967) and gifts from his Silver Jubilee, lavish pieces that include an art deco silver letterbox collection. The museum s guides do an excellent job putting it all in context.