Leyla Achba

Princess Leyla Gül'ef-schan Achba-Anchabadze (born 10 August 1898 in Constantinopole; died November 6 1931 in Sivas) was a princess at the Ottoman court.

She was a daughter of a Abkhaz prince Mehmet-Refik-Bey Achba-Anchabadze and a Georgian princess Machscheref Emukhvari. The family belonged to the old Georgian nobility, which had emigrated to the Istanbul during the Russian-Ottoman war of 1877.

Her aunt from the mother's side, princess Peyveste Emukhvari was a wife of the sultan Abdülhamid II, who ruled from 1876 to 1909. Also her cousin princess Fatma Pesend Achba, later became wife of Abdülhamid II.

By 1919 she also went in the court service, and as some of her relatives she also became a Lady-in-waiting of the last Ottoman empress Emine Nazikeda.

Princess Achba served her, until the empress and the rest of Sultan's family was sent to exile. After the Turkish republic was founded, she moved to her aunt in Sivas, where she died of tuberculosis in 1931. Shortly before her death she wrote memoirs, which give details of the sultan court life.

Princess Achba was the first Ottoman court lady who wrote memoirs. Her cousin princess Mihri Achba (later known as Mihri Müşfik) was the first female artist in Turkey.

References

* Leyla Achba-Anchabadze, Prinzessin: "Harem Hatiralari", Istanbul 2004