Postcard from Sadiq Garh Palace, Bahawalpur - neglected but not forgotten

After visiting the centre of Bahawalpur, we took a small detour to visit Sadiq Garh Palace.  We were just going to stop and have a look on the outside before continuing on to see Derawar Fort.  But one wrong turn into a private driveway led us to meeting the Nawab and his family and an invitation to visit inside the Palace and to stay for tea.  I am constantly amazed at how generous and hospitable Pakistanis are to people they don’t know.

The Palace was built for Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan (IV) in 1882 and took ten years to build.  Italian architects designed the building that has both European and South Asian influences.  The Palace has three floors and sits in a large, symmetrical garden with a mosque to one side.  

The Palace has been left empty now for years.  Glass is broken in the ornate windows, tiles are missing, wooden floors are rotting away.  There is little left of the interior furnishings, three ornate mirrors remain in a downstairs room, too heavy to move or steal.  

Apparently there are a large number of heirs to the property and there is no agreement over what to do with the Palace.  Suggestions include keeping it in the family, handing it over to the local Government to turn into a museum or selling it to become an hotel.  

It is a beautiful building and we can only hope a decision is made soon before the building is beyond restoration and we lose a valuable part of Bahawalpur’s history.

The family Mosque