The Mukarram Jah Trust for Education and Learning will begin restoring the Sixth Palace at Hyderabad’s Purani Haveli, with completion targeted for next year and the project expected to expand the intake capacity of Mukarram Jah School.
Nawab M.A. Faiz Khan, a trustee of the organisation, announced the plan during the school’s 39th Founder’s Day celebrations. He said restoration work on the Asaf Jahi wing had been completed apart from minor finishing work, and that restoration of the Sixth Mahal would be initiated soon.
“Restoration of the Sixth Mahal is being initiated soon and is scheduled for completion by next year, which will enable the institution to increase its intake capacity,” Faiz Khan said.
The announcement links the conservation of a historic palace building to the expansion of an educational institution operating within the Purani Haveli campus. The trust said the restored space would support educational activities at the school, although details of the planned capacity increase and the scope of the restoration work were not specified in the announcement.
The Purani Haveli complex also houses the Nizam Museum, which contains the famed longest wooden wardrobe in the world. The palace was the official residence of the Sixth Nizam, Nawab Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, giving the restoration project significance beyond the school’s immediate expansion plans.
According to Faiz Khan, the heritage campus offers an opportunity to combine conservation with education. The approach places the restoration within the continuing institutional use of the historic complex, rather than treating the palace only as a preserved structure or museum property.
The project also reflects the role of philanthropic trusts in maintaining and adapting heritage properties for public-oriented purposes. Faiz Khan said Nawab Mukarram Jah Bahadur had donated the palace complex to educational trusts, continuing a tradition of philanthropic patronage.
The announcement did not provide a detailed conservation plan, project cost, contractor information or a precise completion date beyond the target of next year. The immediate next step is the initiation of restoration work on the Sixth Palace, while minor finishing works on the Asaf Jahi wing are also yet to be completed.
