Mukarram Jah

Barkat Ali Khan Mukkaram Jah
Pretender
Born	October 6, 1933 (1933-10-06) (age 78) Hilafet Palace at Nice, France
Title(s)	Nizam of Hyderabad
Throne(s) claimed	Hyderabad State
Pretend from	24 February 1967
Monarchy abolished	1948
Last monarch	Asaf Jah VII
Connection with	Grandson
Royal House	Paternal: House of Asaf Jah Maternal: Imperial House of Osman
Father	Azam Jah
Mother	Princess Durru Shehvar
Spouse	Esra Birgin, Helen Simmons, Manolya Onur, Jameela Boularous
Children	Azmet Jah, Shehkyar Begum, Alexander Azam, Mohammod Umar, Niloufer, Zairin
Predecessor	Asaf Jah VII

Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Asaf Jah VIII, Beyefendi (b. 6 October 1933 at the Hilafet Palace, Nice, France), less formally known as Mukarram Jah, has been the titular Nizam of Hyderabad since the death of his grandfather in 1967.^[1] His full official regnal title is His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VIII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Barakat ’Ali Khan Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fatah Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, Honorable Lieutenant-General.^[2]

Early life

Nanny carrying the prince from board after arrival in Bombay, 1934

Mukarram Jah was born to Azam Jah and Durru Shehvar and the grandson of Osman Ali Khan, the last reigning Nizam of Hyderabad state, and also the grandson of the last Ottoman Caliph, His Imperial Majesty Caliph ‘Abdu’l-Mijid II.^[3]

Jah was educated at The Doon School and then in England at Harrow School, Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.^[4][5]

Life

Mukarram Jah enjoyed a close relationship with India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who reportedly wanted him to become his personal envoy or the country's ambassador, particularly to the Muslim countries.^[6] His two main palaces in Hyderabad - Chowmahalla and Falaknuma - have recently been restored and are accessible to the public, the former as a museum highlighting the Nizam era and the latter opening as a luxury hotel in February 2010 (under lease to the Taj Group).^[7]

Like his father, Mukarram was the richest man in India till the Eighties. However in the Nineties, most of his ancestral assets were stripped away by rival claimants in legal dispute.^[8][9]

Personal life

Mukarram Jah first marriage with Turkish Princess Esra Birgin (b. 1938) was solemnised in 1959.^[1][10] Jah left his Hyderabad palace for a sheep station in the Australian outback and divorced his wife, who did not want to move with him.^[11] In 1980 he married a former air hostess and employee of the BBC with a birth name of Helen Simmons;^[12] she converted to Islam, changed her name to Aysha. After her death, he married Manolya Onur, a former Miss Turkey in 1990 and divorced her in 1996.^[11][12][13]

His fourth marriage with, Jameela Boularous, a woman from Morocco, was solemnised in 1993,^[14] and he married again in 1995^[15] Princess Orchedi, who is Turkish.^[4][16]

By Esra Birgin he had:

• Walashan Nawab Sahibzada Mir Azmet Ali Khan (b. 1960), also known as Azmet Jah, married 1996, has worked as a cameraman.^[4][11][17]
• Sahibzadi Shehkyar Begum (b. 1964), unmarried and without issue^[18]

By Helen Simmons he had:

• Walashan Nawab Sahibzada Mir Alexander Azam Khan (b. 1979)^[18]
• Walashan Nawab Sahibzada Mir Mohammod Umar Khan (b. 1983)^[18]

By Manolya Onur he had:

• Nilufer (b. 1991)^[12]

By Jameela Boularous he had:

• Zairin (b. 1994)

Official Name

His full name is: His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VIII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Barakat 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, Imperial Prince of the Ottoman Empire, Honorable Lieutenant-General.^[4]

Ancestry

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Zubrzycki, John (2006), The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback, Pan Macmillan Australia Pty, Limited, ISBN 1405037229 
2. ^ Full regnal title
3. ^ "Princess Durru Shehvar passes away", The Hindu, 2006-02-09, http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/09/stories/2006020919300500.htm 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Buyers, Christopher (August 2008). "Hyderabad: The Asaf Jahi Dynasty Genealogy". http://www.royalark.net/India/hyder12.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-30. 
5. ^ Singh, Kishore (2007-03-30), "India's wealthiest man the country forgot", Business Standard, http://business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=279415 
6. ^ "Nehru had big plans for me, says Mukarram Jah", The Times of India, 2010-03-14, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Nehru-had-big-plans-for-me-says-Mukarram-Jah/articleshow/5681333.cms 
7. ^ Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad - Opening February 2010, 2010-02, http://www.tajgetaways.com/palaces/falaknuma/falaknuma.html 
8. ^ Natwest Bank account freeze
9. ^ Costliest divorce in India
10. ^ Guruswamy, Mohan (May 2008). "Books: The Last Nizam by John Zubrzycki. Picador India, Delhi, 2006.". City of Hope: a symposium on Hyderabad and its syncretic culture. http://www.india-seminar.com/2008/585/585_books.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-30. 
11. ^ ^{a b c} Dalrymple, William (2007-12-08), "The lost world", Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/dec/08/weekend.williamdalrymple 
12. ^ ^{a b c} "Turkish Beauty Fights for Justice", Times of India, 2006-03-21, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1457880,flstry-1.cms 
13. ^ Shrivastava, Namita A (2006-03-19), "Princess diaries", Times of India, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1455717,prtpage-1.cms 
14. ^ "Nizam lands in $7-lakh soup", The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, 2006-03-24, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060324/asp/atleisure/story_6007307.asp 
15. ^ Leonard, Karen Isaksen (2007), Locating Home: India's Hyderabadis Abroad, Stanford University Press, p. 111, ISBN 080475442X 
16. ^ Parasher, Paritosh (2001-08-31), "Nizam's descendant faces unpaid wages charge in Aussie court", Indo-Asian News Service, http://www.rediff.com/us/2001/aug/31aus.htm 
17. ^ Farida, Syeda (2005-02-10), "'I belong to a lot of countries'", The Hindu, http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/02/10/stories/2005021001020100.htm 
18. ^ ^{a b c} Soszynski, Henry (2005-06-20). "HH Walashan Nawab Mir BEREKET ALI KHAN Mukarram Jah". Ancestry.com. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~royalty/turkey/i377.html. Retrieved 2008-12-30. 
19. ^ Buyers, Christopher. "The Asaf Jahi Dynasty: Genealogy". The Royal Ark. http://www.royalark.net/India/hyder12.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
20. ^ Buyers, Christopher. "The Imperial House of Osman: Genealogy". The Royal Ark. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20060615093402/www.4dw.net/royalark/Turkey/turkey15.htm. 

External links

• Some recent photographs of the Nizam and the princely family
• Hyderabad princely state
• Rare colour film of accession ceremony of the 8th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1967 (Youtube)

Mukarram Jah Asaf Jahi dynasty Born: 6th October 1933
Titles in pretence
Preceded by Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII	— TITULAR — Nizam of Hyderabad 1967–Present	Incumbent Heir: Azmet Jah

Persondata
Name	Jah, Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 October 1933
Place of birth	Hilafet Palace at Nice, France
Date of death
Place of death