Nawab Sadiq Khan IV commissioned Noor Mahal for his wife, Noor. The state engineer, an Englishman named Mr. Heennan, designed it, and the princely state of Bahawalpur built it between 1872 and 1875. The article calls it an Italian chateau on neoclassical lines, with Corinthian columns, balustrades and pediments, plus five Islamic domes. It covers 44,600 square feet (4,140 square meters) and has 32 rooms, 14 of them in the basement.
Most materials and furniture were imported from England and Italy. Noor spent one night in the palace and then chose to live elsewhere, because it overlooked a graveyard. Queen Victoria's 60th birthday was celebrated here in 1897.
The army bought it in 1997. Pakistan declared it a protected monument in 2001, and it is open to general visitors.
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