Arakkal Museum, Royal family museum in Kannur, India

The Arakkal Museum occupies the durbar hall of the Arakkalkettu, the Arakkal royal family's palace in Ayikkara, 2–3 km from Kannur town. The two-storey building, made of red stone and wood, has a long rectangular plan; its upper floor, the former durbar hall, has a floor of rosewood and teak. The white-painted facade has dark wooden shuttered windows, a gold "MUSEUM" sign and a black sign in Malayalam and English.

The Arakkal family, Kerala's only Muslim royal line, ruled from the Arakkalkettu, also called Arakkal Kettu or Arakkal Kotta, and held a major role in Malabar's history. In 2005 the state tourism and archaeology departments took up restoration of the durbar hall at a cost of about 90 million rupees, and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Tourism Minister K.C. Venugopal and Cultural Minister A.P. Anilkumar opened it as a museum in July 2005. A 150 million rupee allocation in the new Pinarayi Vijayan government's first 2016 budget went unused because of district tourism department neglect.

The museum displays traditional garments, Arabic manuscripts, and household objects that show how Kerala and Islamic cultures merged in this royal family's daily life. Walking through the rooms, you notice how both worlds shaped their customs and tastes.

The museum lies in Ayikkara, 2–3 km from Kannur town, and about 117 km from Kozhikode International Airport. It occupies the durbar hall on the upper floor of the two-storey Arakkalkettu, whose first floor is laid with rosewood and teak. A nominal entry fee is collected by the Arakkal Royal Trust, which still owns the building.

The first floor's durbar hall, now the museum, has a floor laid entirely in rosewood and teak. Look for the Thampuratti Vilakku, an ever-burning lamp kept by the women of the family, among the swords, early telephones and crystal and metal vessels.