Here’s what you need to know about the Last Nizam of Hyderabad

Last Nizam of Hyderabad Mukarram Jah, the successor and grandson of the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, passed away on Saturday night in Turkey’s Istanbul where he had been living. His mortal remains are being brought to Hyderabad as per his desire to be laid to rest in his homeland.

The Telangana government has decided to bestow Mukarram Jah with full state honors. According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, “in recognition of Mukarram Jah’s social services in the fields of education and medicine for the poor as the successor of the Nizam, the Chief Minister directed chief secretary Shanthi Kumar to conduct Jah’s last rites with the highest state honors.”

Here’s all you need to know about Mukarram Jah Bahadur;

Mukarram Jah was born to Mir Himayat Ali Khan alias Azam Jah Bahadur in 1933 in France. His father was the first son of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad before it was merged with the Indian Union in 1948. His mother Princess Durru Shewar was the daughter of the last Sultan of Turkey Sultan Abdul Mejid II.
In 1954, his grandfather designated him as the heir apparent. Since that time, he has been referred to as Hyderabad’s eighth and final Nizam.
In 1959, Mukarram Jah wed Princess Esra of Turkey for the first time. She claimed in an interview with Youandi.com that the Nizam phoned her after 20 years “to help in handling issues of Hyderabad” despite the fact that the pair had divorced.

IMAGE: Prince Mukarram Jah was the grandson of the seventh Nizam Osman Ali Khan, who was renowned for his miserliness. Photograph: ANI Photo

Describing the lifestyle of Mukarram Jah, Australian author John Zubrzycki, who wrote the book ‘The Last Nizam: The Rise and Fall of India’s Greatest Princely State’, said he “counted his diamonds by the Kilogram, his pearls by the acre, and his gold bars by the tonne”.

Also read: Hyderabad’s last Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur dies at 89

Prince Mukarram Jah was officially called the Prince of Hyderabad until 1971 when the titles and privy purses were abolished by the government.
He was living in Turkey because his mother Princess Durru Shehvar was the imperial princess of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey and daughter of the last Ottoman Caliph Abdul Majid II. Besides, the Nizam’s wife is a Turkish citizen.