When was the last time you walked through centuries in a single afternoon? As Hyderabad’s Salar Jung Museum marks its diamond jubilee, this is a good time to revisit its vast, globally sourced collection.Established in 1951 by Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III at Dewan Devdi, the 18th-century palace complex of the Salar Jung family, the museum moved to its present location in 1968. Known to be an avid art collector, Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan served as the Prime Minister of Hyderabad from 1912 to 1914. The museum spans nine acres and is divided into central, eastern and western blocks and houses a collection of nearly 48,000 artefacts from across the world.The museum displays ceramics, furniture, glassware, bronzes, ivory carvings, art, manuscripts and books, across 40 galleries, offering visitors a window into a richly layered past. “Besides being a connoisseur of rare and exquisite objects, Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan had a keen eye for identifying exceptional quality and distinguishing originals from imitations,” says Ramani Kumari, senior guide lecturer at the museum.It is difficult to narrow down highlights from a collection of this scale, which is best experienced slowly, but if you are short of time, here are a few that stand out.The museum sees a footfall of 1500-2000 people on weekdays and a 10% surge during weekends and holidays.Make way for the crowd pleasers