Ahmed Nihad Efendi

Early years Ahmed Nihad was born on 5 July 1883 in the Çırağan Palace. His father was Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin, son of Sultan Murad V and Reftarıdil Kadın, and his mother was Naziknaz Hanım. He had a sister, Behiye Sultan, two years older than him, and a sister, Behice Sultan, four years younger than him, stillbirth. He spent his entire childhood and early adulthood confined in Çırağan Palace. The Palace served as an enforced residence to his grandfather Sultan Murad, who had been deposed in 1876, and replaced by his brother, Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The restrictions imposed on the former Sultan extended to his entire family and were not lifted until his death in 1904. In 1891, he was circumcised together with Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkadir, Şehzade Ahmed Nuri and Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin, sons of Sultan Abdul Hamid.

On the death of his grandfather, Ahmed Nihad left his enforced confinement at Çırağan Palace and lived in his father's villa in Feneryolu. He then moved into his own mansion located on the intersection between Kılıç Ali Slope and Serencebey Slope above Çırağan Palace. He received painting and history lessons from Tevfik Fikret. He was taught French by Feridun Bey, a teacher at the Robert College and son of the poet Nigâr Hanım. He also lived in his father's villa in Kurbağalıdere and the Beylerbeyi Palace.

Personal life Ahmed Nihad's first wife was Safiru Hanım. They married on 7 February 1902 in the Çırağan Palace,

His third wife was Nevrestan Hanım. They then moved to Beirut, Lebanon where he lived for the rest of his life.

Ahmed Nihad became the head of the exiled Imperial family in August 1944, following the death of Abdulmejid II. He was informed in writing of the decisions taken by the council during the meeting held in Prince Amr Ibrahim's home. But Şehzade Ömer Faruk did not accept him as head of the family. On the other hand, his wife Sabiha Sultan backed the council's decision and approved the choice of leader. Only the grandchildren of Sultan Abdulaziz, Şükriye Sultan, Mihrişah Sultan, and Mehmed Abdulaziz, sided with Ömer Faruk. According to Neslişah Sultan, Ahmed Nihad was an honest, gentle, and a polite person, but he spent the whole day sitting on a chair doing nothing. Besides, he did not have the capacity to fulfill such a role. According to her, Ömer Faruk on the other hand, who had always taken care of everybody's problems in the family, saw himself as the head of the family.

In 1945, he suffered a stroke, which left him disabled. He spent his last days in a modest house, which was simply furnished, on a sofa covered with a rug, which was used as his bed. The only ornament in the room was the Turkish flag hanging on the wall. He often watched the harbor, and used to check whether a ship carrying the Turkish flag entered the port. When he saw it, he would go to the quay to watch the flag closely. Order of Osmanieh, Jeweled Order of Medjidie, Jeweled Liakat War Medal in Gold Imtiyaz War Medal in Silver

Foreign honours Grand-Cross of the Order of Leopold, 6 June 1918

Military appointments Military ranks and army appointments 1918: Colonel of Infantry, Ottoman Army

Issue Name Birth Death Notes By Safiru Hanım (1884–1975) Şehzade Ali Vâsib 13 October 1903 9 December 1983 born in Çırağan Palace; married Mukbile Sultan, daughter of Şehzade Ömer Hilmi and Gülnev Hanım; died in Alexandria, Egypt

Ancestry