ota, خدیجه خیریه عائشه درشهوار سلطان , title = Princess of

Berar Berar may refer to: *Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra Province, India, historically known as Berar *Berar Sultanate (1490–1596), one of the Deccan sultanates *Berar Subah (1596–1724), a Subah of the Mughal Empire *Berar Province (1724 ...

, Princess Imperiale of the Ottoman Empire , image = Cecil Beaton Photographs- Political and Military Personalities; Durri Shehvar, Princess IB783.jpg , caption = Princess Dürrüşehvar Sultan by

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theat ...

, birth_date = , birth_place = Çamlıca Palace,

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; w ...

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

(present day

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

) , death_date = , death_place =

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, burial_place=

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...

, father =

Abdulmejid II Abdulmejid II ( ota, عبد المجید ثانی, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i sânî, tr, II. Abdülmecid, 29 May 1868 – 23 August 1944) was the last Caliph of the Ottoman Dynasty, the only Caliph of the Republic of Turkey, and nominally the 3 ...

, mother =

Mehisti Hanım ota, مہستی خانم , house = Akalsba (by birth) Ottoman (by marriage) , father = Hacımaf Akalsba , mother = Safiye Hanım , birth_name = Atiye Akalsba , birth_date = 1890 , birth_place = Adapazarı, Istanbul, Ott ...

, house = Ottoman (by birth)

Asaf Jahi The Asaf Jahi was a Muslim dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Hyderabad. The family came to India in the late 17th century and became employees of the Mughal Empire. They were great patrons of Persian culture, language, and literature, the famil ...

(by marriage) , house-type = Dynasty , spouse = , issue = , religion =

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

Durru Shehvar Durdana Begum Sahiba, Princess of Berar (born Hatice Hayriye Ayşe Dürrüşehvar Sultan; ota, خدیجه خیریه عائشه درشهوار سلطان; 16 January 1914 – 7 February 2006) was an Ottoman princess, the only daughter of the last caliph

, who was the last

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the Ottoman Imperial throne and the last

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

of the

Ottoman Caliphate The Caliphate of the Ottoman Empire ( ota, خلافت مقامى, hilâfet makamı, office of the caliphate) was the claim of the heads of the Turkish Ottoman dynasty to be the caliphs of Islam in the late medieval and the early modern era. D ...

Early life

Dürrüşehvar Sultan was born on 16 January 1914 at the Çamlıca Palace in

, then part of

, when the

was passing through its last phase. Her father was Caliph

, son of Sultan

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz ( ota, عبد العزيز, ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz; tr, Abdülaziz; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the 32nd List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 187 ...

and

Hayranidil Kadın Hayranidil Kadın ( ota, خیران دل قادین; 2 November 1846 – 26 November 1895; meaning 'The excellent heart') was a consort of Sultan Abdulaziz of the Ottoman Empire, and the mother of last caliph of the Ottoman Emp ...

. Her mother was

, daughter of Hacımaf Akalsba and Safiye Hanım. She had a half-brother,

Şehzade Ömer Faruk Şehzade Ömer Faruk ( ota, شهزادہ عمر فاروق; 27 February 1898 – 28 March 1969) was an Ottoman prince, the son of last caliph of Muslim world Abdulmejid II and Şehsuvar Hanım. He was the imperial son-in-law of Sultan Mehmed VI ...

, from her father's first marriage. At the exile of the imperial family in March 1924, Dürrüşehvar and her family settled in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The British Red Crescent Society, friendly with the deposed ruler, appealed to Muslim rulers around the world to come to the aid of the impoverished Caliph. Persuaded by Maulana

Shaukat Ali Shaukat Ali, also known as Shaukat Ali Khan, (3 May 1944 – 2 April 2021) was a Pakistani folk singer. Early life and career Born on 3 May 1944, into a family of artists in Malakwal, a town in District Gujrat (now falls in new District Mandi ...

and his brother, Maulana

Mohammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

, Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII the last Nizam of the Hyderabad State of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

decided to send a life-time monthly pension of three hundred pounds to the deposed Caliph, and allowances to several individuals in the family.

Marriage

When she came of age, she was sought by the

Shah of Persia Iranian monarchism is the advocacy of restoring the monarchy in Iran, which was abolished after the 1979 Revolution. Historical background Iran first became a constitutional monarchy in 1906, but underwent a period of autocracy during the years ...

and

King Fuad I Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...

of Egypt as a bride for their respective heirs,

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...

and

Farouk Farooq (also transliterated as Farouk, Faruqi, Farook, Faruk, Faroeq, Faruq, or Farouq, Farooqi, Faruque or Farooqui; ar, فاروق, Fārūq) is a common Arabic given and family name. ''Al-Fārūq'' literally means "the one who distinguishes b ...

, and by Prince

Azam Jah Azam Jah, Damat Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur Bayaffendi ( ur, اعظم جاہ داماد والاشان صاحب زادہ نواب سر میر حمایت علی خان بہادر بے آفندی) (21/22 Febru ...

(1907–1970), the eldest son and heir of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. In 1930,

Şehzade Mehmed Abid Şehzade Mehmed Abid ( ota, شهزادہ محمد عابد; 17 September 1905 – 8 December 1973) was an Ottoman prince, the son of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and Saliha Naciye Hanım. Early years Şehzade Mehmed Abid was born on 17 September 1905 ...

, son of Sultan

Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

and Saliha Naciye Hanım also asked her hand in marriage. However, her father refused, on the grounds of Dürrüşehvar being under age. In 1931, her father arranged her marriage to

, elder son and heir to

Mir Osman Ali Khan Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 — 24 February 1967), was the last Nizam (ruler) of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age of ...

(7th Nizam of

Hyderabad Deccan Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...

). However, fifty thousand pounds in ''

mahr In Islam, a mahr (in ar, مهر; fa, مهريه; tr, mehir; sw, mahari; also transliterated ''mehr'', ''meher'', ''mehrieh'', or ''mahriyeh'') is the obligation, in the form of money or possessions paid by the groom, to the bride at the time ...

'' was demanded for her, which the Nizam considered too much. Upon the intervention of Shaukat Ali, he proposed to offer, for the same ''mahr'', the hand of

Princess Niloufer Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

to the Nizam's younger son

Moazzam Jah Moazzam Jah, Walashan Shahzada Nawab Mir Sir Shuja’at ‘Ali Khan Siddiqui Bahadur, KCIE (21 December 1907 – 15 September 1987), was the son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and his first wife Dulhan Pasha Begum. ...

. The Nizam readily agreed and sent his two sons to France to be married. A day before the wedding, the princes arrived in Nice from London by express train, and stayed at the

Hotel Negresco The Hotel Negresco is a hotel and site of the restaurant ''Le Chantecler'', located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France. It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel constructed in 1912 ...

. On 12 November 1931, at aged seventeen, Dürrüşehvar married

, at Villa Carabacel in Nice. The Nizam's younger son was married to Dürrüşehvar's cousin Niloufer. The marriage was performed by Damad Mehmed Şerif Pasha, husband of Abdulmejid's half-sister Emine Sultan. The local newspapers were full of photographs of the Indian princes when they arrived for the weddings, with headlines like ''A Thousand and One Nights'' and ''A Muslim Wedding''. After the wedding the princes took their brides and the entourage back to the hotel where they had stayed. After the religious ceremony, the newly weds went to the British consulate to complete their civil marriage, and validate their prenuptial agreement, according to which, in the event of divorce or death of the husband, Dürrüşehvar would receive two hundred thousand dollars in compensation. Caliph Abdulmecid II of the Ottoman Empire

Caliph Abdulmecid II of the Ottoman Empire

Following the festivities in Nice, the princesses and their husbands set sail from Venice on 12 December 1931 to her father-in-law's court in

Hyderabad, India Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the '' de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern In ...

. Her mother also accompanied them. They boarded the ocean liner ''Pilsna''.

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

had boarded the ship after attending the Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931, and was travelling back to India. It is reported that he met with the princesses. 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 Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat (from ''chār mahallāt'', in Dakhini Urdu) is the palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad State in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Niz ...

on 4 January 1932. They then settled down in their respective homes. Dürrüşehvar and Azam Jah settled down in

Bella Vista, Hyderabad Bella Vista is a royal palace of the Nizam during the existence of Hyderabad State, now located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is an Indo-European building standing on a verdant campus. The building's French architect named it Bella Vist ...

. She received the title of Durdana Begum from the Nizam, held the title of Her Highness The Princess of

. 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. On 6 October 1933, she gave birth to her elder son, Nawab Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Bahadur, Asaf Jah, the future Nizam of Hyderabad. He was followed by Nawab Mir Karamat Ali Khan, Muffakham Jah Bahadur, born on 27 February 1939. She knew of her husband's numerous concubines but carried herself regally. However, the differences between the two of them eventually led to their marriage falling apart within two years, and after the divorce, Dürrüşehvar stayed in Hyderabad for some years, then moved to London.

Public life

AsafJahVIII-Dürrühshehvar 1stOfficialPic 1934

Turkish aristocrats Durrushehvar and Abdulmejid II

A highly respected and well-educated lady, the princess was fluent in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and also

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

She was also a painter and a poet. She established a junior college for girls in her name in Yakutpura, Bagh-e-jahan Ara, Hyderabad, and the

Osmania General Hospital Osmania General Hospital (OGH) is one of the oldest hospitals in India located at Afzal Gunj, Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. I ...

. On 4 November 1936, she laid the foundation stone of Hyderabad's Begumpet airport's first terminal, and was presented with a silver casket. She also inaugurated the famous Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College Hospital at

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

, Aligarh in 1939. Together with her cousin Niloufer, Dürrüşehvar advocated girls' education and women's rights. They were given free rein, as the Nizam adored both his daughters-in-law, whom he often introduced as the "jewels of his palace". He also encouraged both of them to take part in sports, such as tennis and horse-riding. He sent them on tours of Europe so they could broaden their mind and also pick up works of art for his museums." Both cousins are remembered as great beauties, socialites, style icons, and philanthropists. In the company of her friend Rani Kumudini Devi, she rode horses, drove cars and played tennis. With her beauty and charm, etiquette and dress sense, she transformed Hyderabad’s social circuit. On 6 May 1935, she and her husband attended the twenty-fifth commemorating ceremony of King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

's reign. On 12 May 1937, they attended the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

of King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

and Queen

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, where she was photographed by British photographer

. 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.

Philip Mason Philip Mason (19 March 1906 – 25 January 1999), was an English civil servant and writer. He is best known for his two-volume book on the British Raj, ''The Men Who Ruled India'' (written under the pseudonym 'Philip Woodruff', the latter being ...

, of the Indian Civil Service, described her as "a commanding figure, handsome of feature, with a clear fair complexion and auburn hair… No one could ignore her or slight her. She was always essentially and indefinably royal, and it seems to me that if fate had so willed she might have been one of the great queens of the world."

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 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

. Each time she returned to Hyderabad for a visit, she attracted big crowds. In 1954, she called Niloufer requesting help for the burial of her father. She had made several efforts to have her father's body buried in Istanbul, but could not obtain the permission of the Turkish government. He had wanted to be buried in either Turkey or Hyderabad. Niloufer called one of her friends,

Malik Ghulam Muhammad Sir Malik Ghulam Muhammad ( ur, ; 20 April 1895 – 29 August 1956), was a Pakistani politician and financier who served as the third governor-general of Pakistan, appointed in this capacity in 1951 until being dismissed in 1955 due to healt ...

, a former official in the Nizam's Government, and who was at that time the Governor-General of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. He called

Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Suʿūd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969) was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 ...

, the then King of Saudi Arabia to relay the request. The King agreed to grant the request, and he was finally buried in Saudi Arabia in the

Al-Baqi' ''Jannat al-Baqīʿ'' ( ar, ٱلْبَقِيْع, "The Baqi'") is the oldest and the first Islamic cemetery of Medina in the Hejazi region of present-day Saudi Arabia. It is located to the southeast of the Prophet's Mosque, which contains the g ...

. 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 Princess Rain 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 visited Hyderabad lastly in 2004, and died on 7 February 2006 in London. Her two sons were by her side at the time of her death. She was buried in

. She was upset about Turkish Government's attitude against 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.(Mainly in Turkish)

Legacy

She is remembered for teaching the 'power of silence', and establishing several maternity units, schools, colleges, dispensaries and the hospital in Hyderabad.

Honour

Order of the House of Osman The Order of the House of Osman ( ota, نشانِ خاندانِ آلِ عثمان) was an order of the Ottoman Empire founded on 31 August 1893 by Sultan Abdul Hamid II. It was awarded to senior male and female members of the Imperial family an ...

Issue

Ancestry

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durruhsehvar, Hadice Hayriye Ayshe 1914 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Ottoman princesses People from Üsküdar Hyderabadi Muslims Women from Hyderabad State People from Hyderabad State Burials at Brookwood Cemetery Indian female royalty