Albert Hall Museum

The Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur is the oldest museum of Rajasthan and functions as the state museum. Located in Ram Niwas Garden, it was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob in Indo-Saracenic architecture and opened to the public in 1887. Named after Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII), the museum houses extensive collections of art, artifacts, paintings, jewelry, carpets, and an Egyptian mummy.

Visitors can explore multiple galleries displaying Rajasthani art, miniature paintings, textiles, pottery, metal sculptures, jewelry, arms and armor, and international artifacts. The museum features a prominent Egyptian mummy exhibit, Persian garden carpet, and murals depicting scenes from Indian epics. The building itself showcases Indo-Saracenic architecture with marble and stone construction, painted outer walls, and inscribed religious texts.

The foundation stone was laid on February 6, 1876, by the Prince of Wales Albert Edward during his visit to Jaipur. Designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the museum was opened to the public in 1887. It was developed from an industrial crafts collection assembled for the Jaipur Exhibition of 1883 by Colonel Tomas H. Hendley. Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II initially conceived it as a town hall, but his successor Madho Singh II established it as a museum.

The Albert Hall Museum serves as the state museum of Rajasthan and represents one of the best 19th-century museums for the variety of its collections. It preserves local Rajasthani crafts and skills while showcasing international art. The museum pioneered innovative practices such as appointing guides and demonstrators, and historically reserved Fridays for women visitors during the era of purdah.