Princess Dürrüşehvar Sultan

Hatice Hayriye Ayşe Dürrüşehvar Sultan (; 26 January 1914 – 7 February 2006), after marriage named Durru Shehvar Durdana Begum Sahiba, Princess of Berar; was an Ottoman princess by birth and Hyderabadi princess by marriage. She was the only daughter of Abdulmejid II, who was the last heir apparent to the Ottoman Imperial throne and the last Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate.

Early life

Dürrüşehvar Sultan was born on 26 January 1914 at the Çamlıca Palace in Üsküdar, then part of İstanbul, when the Ottoman Caliphate was passing through its last phase. Her father was the future Caliph Abdulmejid II, son of Sultan Abdulaziz and Hayranidil Kadın. Her mother was Mehisti Hanım, daughter of Hacımaf Akalsba and Safiye Hanım. She had a half-brother, Şehzade Ömer Faruk, from her father's first consort.

Marriage As a teenager, Dürrüşehvar's beauty attracted many suitors, despite belonging to a fallen dynasty. She was sought by the Shah of Persia and King Fuad I of Egypt as a bride for their respective heirs, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and Farouk, and by Prince Azam Jah (1907–1970), the eldest son and heir of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. In 1930, Şehzade Mehmed Abid, son of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and Saliha Naciye Hanım also asked for her hand in marriage. However, her father refused, on the grounds of Dürrüşehvar being under age, but in reality Abdülmecid had already decided to marry her off to the eldest son of the Nizam.

In 1931, her father arranged her marriage to Azam Jah, the eldest son and heir to Mir Osman Ali Khan (7th Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan). However, fifty thousand pounds in mahr was demanded for her, which the Nizam considered too much. Upon the intervention of Shaukat Ali, he proposed to offer, for the same mahr, also the hand of Mahpeyker Hanımsultan to the Nizam's younger son Moazzam Jah. The Nizam readily agreed and sent his two sons to France to be married. However, when they arrived in France, Şehzade Osman Fuad, his wife Kerime Hanim and his half-sister Adile Sultan arranged for Moazzam to meet Nilüfer Hanımsultan, Adile's daughter. Nilüfer was so beautiful that Moazzam fell in love with her at first sight, and immediately decided to break off his engagement to Mahpeyker to marry her instead. On the way, they were taught how to wear sarees, and the expected etiquette in the presence of the Nizam. After their landing in Bombay, they boarded the private train of the Nizam. After they reached Hyderabad, a banquet was held at the Chowmahalla Palace on 4 January 1932. They then settled down in their respective homes. Dürrüşehvar and Azam Jah settled down in Bella Vista, Hyderabad.

She received the title of Durdana Begum from the Nizam, held the title of Her Highness the Princess of Berar. She was taller than Azam Jah, and the Nizam thought that was a great joke. He regularly used to point out the difference in their height at parties. She knew of her husband's numerous concubines but carried herself regally. However, the differences between the two eventually led to their marriage falling apart around 1954, She established a junior college for girls in her name in Yakutpura, Bagh-e-Jahan Ara, Hyderabad, On 4 November 1936, she laid the foundation stone of Hyderabad's Begumpet airport's first terminal, On 23 June 1937, she accompanied her husband during the visit to lay the foundation stone of a new mosque in Kensington and was at Ranelagh to see Bhopal win the Ranelagh Open Polo Cup. Beaton photographed her in her palace in India in 1944, and then in 1965 in France.

Later life and death

She ensured her sons, Prince Mukarram Jah and Prince Muffakam Jah, received the best possible western education in Europe and married Turkish brides, as she desired. Mukarram studied in Eton. Years later, he was declared heir to Hyderabad throne, at the suggestion of his grandfather, and served as honorary aide-de-camp to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

In 1983, she sponsored the Durru Shehvar Children's & General Hospital in Hyderabad under the patronage of her son Mukarram Jah. In 1990, she, her son Mufakkham Jah and his wife Esin attended the Durban Dinner, along with the Indian and Pakistani High Commissioners in London to commemorate the 400th year of the foundation of Hyderabad.

She last visited Hyderabad in 2004, She was upset about Turkish Government's attitude towards her family members after declaration of the republic. Despite being a member of Ottoman imperial and royal family, she refused to be buried in Turkey, since she was upset that the Turkish Government refused her father's burial in Istanbul in 1944.

At her death, the Daily Telegraph newspaper wrote: "There was an occasion when she was lunching with a friend in Oxfordshire, at which Princess Margaret was also a guest. The weather was inclement, and both Princesses were invited to plant cedars of Lebanon. Princess Margaret eventually did so - reluctantly - while the Princess of Berar performed her duty with her customary quiet dignity. Today Princess Margaret’s tree struggles, while the Princess of Berar’s thrives". in Hyderabad.

Honour Order of the House of Osman

Issue Name Birth DeathNotes Mukarram Jah 6 October 193315 January 2023 Married five times, and had issue, three sons and three daughters Muffakham Jah 27 February 1939living Married once, and had issue, two sons

Ancestry