The Faiz Mahal ( ur, ) is a palace in
Khairpur
Khairpur( Sindhi and ur, ) is a city and the capital of the Khairpur District, in Pakistan's Sindh province.
History
The Talpur dynasty was established in 1783 by Mir Fateh Ali Khan, who declared himself the first ''Rais'', or ruler of Sindh ...
,
Sindh,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.
It was built by Mir Sohrab Khan in 1798 as the principal building serving as the sovereign's court for the royal palace complex of
Talpur
Talpur (, bal, تالپورء اۏبادگ) is a Saraiki-speaking Baloch sub-clan of the Hoth tribe settled in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan in Pakistan. The tribe established the Talpur dynasty, which ruled between 1783 and 1843, while a bran ...
monarchs of the Khairpur dynasty. Originally it included the ruler's chambers along with 16 waiting rooms for courtiers and guest rooms for royal guests alongside the
durbar
Durbar can refer to:
* Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs
* Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria
* Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...
and dining halls. Additionally there was the Hathi Khana for the royal elephant and the horses stables where today there is a mango orchard.
At present, Faiz Mahal serves as the home of the last
Talpur
Talpur (, bal, تالپورء اۏبادگ) is a Saraiki-speaking Baloch sub-clan of the Hoth tribe settled in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan in Pakistan. The tribe established the Talpur dynasty, which ruled between 1783 and 1843, while a bran ...
monarch, H. H. Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur II (born 1933), and his sons Prince Abbas Raza Talpur and Prince Mehdi Raza Talpur. After the original Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was abolished by the Chaudry Ghulam Mohummed/General Iskander Mirza dictatorships,
Khairpur state
The State of Khairpur ( sd, خيرپور رياست، ur, ریاست خیرپور), also transliterated as Khayrpur, was a princely state of British India on the Indus River in northern Sindh, modern Pakistan, with its capital city at Khairpur. ...
was merged with
Pakistani state in 1955 using threat of military invasion in violation of the agreement Mir Ali Murad had with the founder of Pakistan,
Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Today the former sovereign is an environmentalist and has to his credit an extraordinary flora and fauna safe haven called the
Mehrano reserve, famous for its
black buck
The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources.
It stands up to high at the shoulder. Ma ...
, and
hog deer
''Axis'' is a genus of deer occurring in South and Southeast Asia. As presently defined by most authorities, four species are placed in the genus. Three of the four species are called hog deer. The genus name is a word mentioned in Pliny the Eld ...
, which are now rare in Sindh.
Gallery
File:Faiz Mahal Khairpur Sindh.jpg, Exterior view
File:Inside view of FaizMahal.jpg, Interior view
File:An architectural detail of Faiz Mahal by Usman Ghani.jpg, Architectural detail of the Faiz Mahal's exterior
File:Faiz mehal khiarpur (asad aman).jpg, Walkways around the exterior
File:Oil painting of Faiz Mahal.jpg, Oil painting of Faiz Mahal by Sher Khan
References
{{Castles in Pakistan
Tourism in Sindh
Royal residences in Pakistan
Palaces in Pakistan
Talpur dynasty
Buildings and structures in Khairpur District