Durrushevar the princess of turkey 2

BIOGRAPHY OF
DURRUSHEVAR , THE
IMPERIAL PRINCESS OF
OTTOMAN EMPIRE, WIFE OF
AZAM JAH ,THE ELDEST SON
OF NIZAM (TELANGANA
STATE) AGAINST THE
BACKDROP OF
MODERNISATION

Princess Durru Shehvar,
Princess Consort of Berar and Imperial Princess of
the Ottoman Empire

HER IMPERIAL AND EXALTED HIGHNESS
THE PRINCESS HATICE HAYRIYE AYŞE
DÜRRÜŞEHVAR SULTAN,
IMPERIAL PRINCESS OF THE OTTOMAN
EMPIRE,
PRINCESS OF BERAR.
TITLES AND STYLES

The Princess was born at Tchamlidcha-Scutari on March 12 1913 (or possibly
1914 - the reference books are not clear), the only daughter of Abdülmecid II
and his third wife, Mihisti. Her father was Caliph of the Faithful, with the
additional titles of Successor of the Prophet Mohammed, Commander of the
Faithful and The Shadow of God on Earth. A cultured man who spoke Turkish,
Arabic, French and German, he composed music and was a highly proficient
painter, producing landscapes and scenes from Ottoman history.
He succeeded as Caliph in 1922, and the family resided in the Dolmabahçe
Palace on the European shore of Istanbul.

Princess Shehvar as nine and a half years old, 1923
DAUGHTER OF CALIPH ABDÜLMECID II

Hatice Ayesha
Durrushehvar Sultan
was a daughter of an
Islam Caliph but she
didn’t use headscarve
and his father never
exploited her clothes
unlike today’s some
Turkish politicians.

Abdülmecid II, (born May 30, 1868, Constantinople, Ottoman
Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]—died August 23, 1944, Paris, France), the
last caliph and crown prince of the Ottoman dynasty of Turkey.
Following Ottoman custom, Abdülmecid was confined to the palace until
he was 40, during which time his father, Abdülaziz, and three of his cousins
reigned. When his fourth cousin took the throne as Mehmed VI in 1918,
Abdülmecid became crown prince. He was elected caliph by the Grand
National Assembly on November 18, 1922, after the sultanate was
abolished, and he lost his title of crown prince after Mehmed left
Constantinople on the assumption of power by Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk).
Although the caliphate was severed from all political power, Abdülmecid, a
gentle and scholarly man, was the living symbol of Turkey’s link to the
Islamic-Ottoman past. The forces of tradition and the opponents of
Mustafa Kemal’s regime rallied around him. Mustafa Kemal, determined to
break with the Islamic past, first proclaimed the Turkish Republic (October
29, 1923), and on March 3, 1924, the Grand National Assembly abolished
the caliphate. The next day Abdülmecid was exiled.

THE RISE OF ATATÜRK
The decision of the Ottoman Empire to enter the First World War in
1914 turned out to be a horrible mistake. The empire was run by a
dictatorship led by the “Three Pashas” who unilaterally entered the
war on the German side, against the British, French, and Russians.
The Ottoman Empire was invaded from the south by the British, from
the East by the Russians, and by the Greeks in the West. By the end
of war in 1918, the empire was divided and occupied by the
victorious allies, leaving only the central Anatolian highlands under
native Turkish control.
It was in central Anatolia where Mustafa Kemal would rise to become
a national hero for the Turks. As an Ottoman army officer, he
displayed great leadership in battle, especially at Gallipoli, where the
Ottomans managed to turn back a British invasion aimed at the
capital, Istanbul. After the war, however, Kemal made clear about his
priorities .

Mustafa Kemal, the hero of the War of Turkish
Independence, took on the title of “Atatürk”, meaning
“Father of the Turks”.
His main goal was the establishment of Turkish
nationalism as the unifying force of the Turkish
people. Unlike the multi-ethnic and diverse Ottoman
Empire, Kemal aimed to create a monolithic state
based on Turkish identity.
Mustafa Kemal in
1918

REPLACEMENT OF ARABIC WITH LATIN
Atatürk introducing the
new Latin script in 1928.
Turkish was written in Arabic letters for hundreds of
years after the conversion of the Turks to Islam in
the 900s. Because Turkish was written in the Arabic
script, Turks could read the Quran, and other Islamic
texts with relative ease, connecting them to an
Islamic identity – which Atatürk saw as a threat.
In addition to the introduction of the Latin letters,
Atatürk created a commission charged with the
replacement of Arabic and Persian loanwords in
Turkish. In keeping with his nationalist agenda,
Atatürk wanted a language that was purely Turkish,
which meant old Turkish words, that had become
obsolete during the Ottoman era, came back into
use instead of Arabic words. For example, the
Turkish War of Independence, formerly known as
the Istiklal Harbi, is now known as Kurtuluş Savaşı,
because “istiklal” and “harb” are Arabic loanwords in
Turkish.

With the caliphate out of the way, the Turkish government had more freedom to
pursue policies that attacked Islamic institutions. Islamic education was banned in
favor of secular, non-dogmatic schools.
Everyday life for Turks was also dictated by Atatürk’s secular ideas:
Traditional Islamic forms of headdress such as turbans and the fez were outlawed
in favor of Western-style hats.
The hijaab for women was ridiculed as a “ridiculous object” and banned in public
buildings.
The calendar was officially changed, from the traditional Islamic calendar, based
on the hijrah to the Gregorian calendar which is based on the birth of Jesus Christ.
In 1932, the adhan – the Muslim call to prayer – was outlawed in Arabic. Instead, it
was rewritten using Turkish words and forced upon the country’s thousands of
mosques.
Friday was no longer considered part of the weekend. Instead, Turkey was forced to
follow European norms of Saturday and Sunday being days off from work.

WOMEN IN TURKEY
During the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th
century, educated women within the elites of Istanbul
began to organize themselves as feminists. With the
Tanzimat reforms, improving women's conditions was
considered as part of a wider efforts towards
modernization.
They fought to increase women's access to education and
paid work, to abolish polygamy, and the peçe, an Islamic
veil. Woman magazines were published by
early feminists in various languages and established
different organizations dedicated to the advancement of
women.
The first women's association in Turkey, the Ottoman
Welfare Organization of Women, was founded in 1908
and became partially involved in the Young
Turks Movement.
Safiye Ali, the first Turkish
female doctor.

EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
The unification of education, along with the closure of the old-style universities, and a
large-scale program of science transfer from Europe; education became an integrative
system, aimed to alleviate poverty and used female education to establish gender
equality. Turkish education became a state-supervised system, which was designed to
create a skill base for the social and economic progress of the country.
EQUAL PARTICIPATION
The Ottoman society was a traditional one and the women had no political rights,
even after the Second Constitutional Erain 1908. During the early years of the
Turkish Republic educated women struggled for political rights. One notable female
political activist was Nezihe Muhittin who founded the first women's party in June
1923, which however was not legalized because the Republic was not officially
declared. With intense struggle, the Turkish women achieved voting rights in local
elections by the act of 1580 on 3 April 1930

SPOUSE
Nawab Azam Jah, Prince of
Berar, by Bassano Ltd, 21
May 1937 was the Eldest
son of the last Nizam of
Hyderabad, Osman Ali
Khan, Asaf Jah VII and his
first wife Dulhan Pasha
Begum.

Nawab Azam Jah,
Prince of Berar, Art by
Bassano Ltd

Circa 1946: Prince of Berar, heir
to the throne of Hyderabad,
posing in his palace. (Photo by
Margaret Bourke-White/The
LIFE Picture Collection/Getty
Images)
Credit: Margaret Bourke-White
/ contributor

Azam Jah born in February 1907 was groomed to become the next Nizam.
He was granted the title of Prince of Berar in 1936 under an agreement
with the British, though Berar ceased to be part of Hyderabad State in
1853. Obviously it was the British way of satisfying the ego of the Nizam.
As a young prince, he led an impressive parade and he was made
Commander-in-Chief, a post that enabled him to live in the `official
residence' Bella Vista.
The Prince married Dur-e-Shehvar, arguably one of the most beautiful
women of her times, the daughter of the former Sultan of Turkey and
the last Caliph , Abdul Majid Khan at Nice in France. Simultaneously, his
brother, Prince Moazzam Jah, got married to Dur-e-Shevar's cousin, the
equally beautiful Niloufer, also at Nice.

In 1924 the Palace was surrounded by troops, and Adnan Adivar, adviser to Ataturk, warned
the Caliph that he was to be deposed by the National Assembly and that he and his family
must go. The family began their exile in Paris and Nice.
During this time they were supported by Asaf Jah VII, Nizam of Hyderabad, one of the
richest men in the world, who dressed shabbily but made many charitable benefactions. He
gave the Caliph a stipend of £4,000 a year.
The Caliph led life "apart from the worldly vanities", as he put it, and was often observed
on the beach in Nice wearing bathing trunks and holding a parasol. During this time Reza
Shah Pahlavi (the Shah of Persia), King Fuad I of Egypt and the Nizam of Hyderabad vied
with each other to secure the princess as bride for their respective heirs. The Nizam won. It
was in Nice that the princess married, on November 12 ,1931, Hymayat Ali Khan Azam Jah,
Prince of Berar, son and heir of the Nizam. At the same ceremony her cousin Princess
Niloufer married another son of the Nizam.

The marriage of the princess was performed, in the
south of France, by the good offices of Maulana
Shaukat Ali, brother of Maulana Muhammad Ali
Johar, the leader of the Khilafat Movement in India.
It was believed at that time that the matrimonial
alliance between the Nizam, the richest ruler in the
world of his time, and the deposed Caliph would
lead to the emergence of a Muslim ruler who could
be acceptable to the world powers in place of the
Ottoman sultans. Princess Durru Shahvar, whose
father was raised by a branch of the Ottoman
monarchy deeply interested in modernizing reforms
and believed in modern education for women
including his wives and daughter, became a popular
public figure after her arrival in Hyderabad. She
believed that women should earn their own living,
and helped to remove the practice of purdah.

MARRIAGE THAT BROUGHT THE
CONTINENTS CLOSER
It was believed at that time that the matrimonial alliance between
the Nizam, the richest ruler in the world of his time and the
deposed Caliph would lead to the emergence of a Muslim ruler
who could be acceptable to the world powers in place
of the Ottoman sultans.

Prince of Barar Wali Ahed, Azam Jah (Mir Himayet Ali Khan) pen name Azam, Princess
Durreshewar daughter of Caliph Abdul Majid II (In centre) of Ottoman empire, Princess Nilofer,
Prince Mauzam Jah (Mir Shuja’at Ali Khan)

There was none of the normal oriental splendour
characteristic of such occasions; rather it was a simple
ceremony of Islam, attended by members of the two
families and friends. The Caliph presided over both
weddings.
The two couples travelled to Hyderabad, where the Nizam
broke protocol to greet them.
There was wild applause and shouts of blessing as the royal
party made its way to the Palace. Both couples settled in the
lakeside palace of Bella Vista, and attended state banquets
of welcome, the guests eating off gold plates.

HOLIDAY IN HYDERABAD
The Nizam could not attend the wedding. Instead, a holiday was declared in
Hyderabad. Newspapers brought out special editions.
First the news sounded too romantic to be true, for when the young princes,
Azam Jah and Moazzam Jah, left Hyderabad for a holiday, no one imagined that
they would return married. Coinciding with the royal wedding in Nice, a holiday
was declared in Hyderabad. And when the two royal couples returned to
Hyderabad after a long journey, there was a tumultuous welcome. The city was
decked up. It was said that all communities joined to contribute to the building
of a "shadikhana" as a permanent memorial. People from neighbouring villages
poured into the city to catch a glimpse of the newly married couples.
The royal reception was in the stately Chowmohalla palace and the then British
Resident, Lt. Col. T. H. Keyes, proposed a toast.

THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDES
Caliph Abdul Medjid II and his beauteous daughter Princess Dur-e-Shawar
and his Beauteous niece the Sultana Nilofar Hanim, great-granddaughter of
Turkish Sultan Murad V
Apparently, the two pretty girls were a first-
class match for the two sons of the Nizam of
Hyderabad. Off these princes—Azam Jah and
Moazam Jah—were packed to Europe—the first
royal Hyderabad males ever to marry outside
India.

HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED
Writers of those days recorded it as an "event of
unparalleled interest and importance not only for
Hyderabad but also for the world at large." From the
day of their betrothal to the day of the wedding,
stirring the imagination of people all over the world
beyond measure."

Princess Durrushevar in her
wedding gown

During her time in
Hyderabad, the Princess
made an indelible
impression. Philip Mason,
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."

Princess Durru Shehvar Berar, only daughter of the former Sultan of Turkey, photographed
wearing a jewelled sari in India. Princess Durru Shehvar Berar, only daughter of the former
Sultan of Turkey, photographed wearing a jewelled sari in India by Cecil Beaton. . The blouse she
was wearing was boat shaped which was quite popular in 1940s.
VINTAGE INDIAN CLOTHING

Though statuesque and grand, the princess was also shy,
sensitive and sophisticated. Letters from her arrived in perfect
calligraphy. She shunned publicity, and will probably be best
remembered for her striking image in profile taken by Cecil
Beaton on his wartime visit to Bombay in March 1944.
The picture captures a handsome and autocratic-looking lady
wearing a white sari, serene on the terrace of her palace, and
was in stark contrast to the normal images of war that were
emerging from elsewhere in India.
Beaton was impressed by her "sensational" looks, the "climate
of restfulness and serenity" she created about her, as well as by
her love for philosophy and literature, her proficiency in many
languages and the "Ottoman perfection of her taste".

The Princess of Berar soon
adopted Indian ways. She spoke
Urdu like a native and had fluent
English.
But she was modern in her
approach, believing that women
should earn their own livings, and
she helped to remove the habit of
purdah in Hyderabad.
She and the Prince had two sons,
Prince Mukarram Jah, the present
de jure Nizam, and Prince
Muffakham Jah

1934 First official
photograph of Asaf Jah
VIII, with his mother
Dürrühshehvar, daughter
of the last Ottoman
caliph.
He would have become
Nizam of Hyderabad after
the death of his
grandfather Asaf Jah VII.
He instead operated a
sheep station in Western
Australia

When Walter Monckton
arrived in Hyderabad in
1946 to try to disillusion
the Nizam of the idea that
Hyderabad could remain
independent, he judged
the princess "a woman
tranquil yet resolute,
whose personality
dominated any room she
entered"

This is an image from the
national Portrait Gallery,
London.
Pictured is Nawab Azam
Jah, Prince of Berar
(1907-1970), Son of the
Nizam of Hyderabad, his
wife, Princess
Durruhsehvar, Princess of
Berar (1914-2006), and
the Princesses father,
Caliph Abdulmecid Khan II
of Turkey (1868-1944).

The Ottoman Sultan nurtured high hopes
that at the turn of the 20th century for
the marriages with the Nizam's family
would provide access to enormous wealth
to fund the Empire's modernization and
renewal. Incidentally, the 8th Nizam's
fortune was estimated at ~$200 billion in
the 1960s, making him something like the
6th richest man in history.

Prince Azam Jah
with trophies
presented to him

Azam Jah (Prince of Berar) Eldest Son of Last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir
Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII (Operation Polo / Hyderabad Police Action
1948 Pic)

Azam Jah (Prince of Berar) Eldest Son of Last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah

The Prince of Berar Posing with His Pipe Premium Photographic Print

Azam Jah. Circa 1946: Prince of Berar, member of the Nizam royal family & heir to the throne of
Hyderabad, relaxing with his wife Durru Shevar as their servants serve.

A10gA group photograph taken at the Madras Airport prior tot he departure of the members of
the Turkish Press Delegation from Madras on March 1, 1952.

The Nizam died in 1967 and was succeeded by his
grandson. The Prince of Berar died in 1970. For
quite some time, the Princess resided at
Hyderabad House in Kensington Palace Gardens,
later shifted to an apartment where all the old-
fashioned royal standards were maintained. It was
noted that, even if she arrived in the country in a
less than grand car, the driver still wore the livery
of Hyderabad, with knee-boots.

Princess Durru Shevar (1914 – 2006)
daughter of the third marriage of Sultan
Abdul Mejid Efendi of the Ottoman
Empire, son of His Imperial Majesty The
Sultan Abdülâziz, Emperor of the
Ottomans and the apparently last heir to
the Imperial Ottoman throne and the
last Caliph of the Muslim world. She held
the titles of Princess of Berar and
Imperial Princess of the Ottoman, Wife
of Azam Jah eldest son of the seventh
and last Nizam of Hyderabad.
“Photograph by Margaret Bourke-
White”.

Portrait of Indian Princess
Durru Shehvar, 1950.

There was an occasion when
the princess was lunching
with a friend in Oxfordshire,
at which Princess Margaret
was also a guest. The
weather was rough that day.
Both the Princesses were
invited to plant cedars of
Lebanon. Princess Margaret
eventually planted
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.

The Princess relaxing in the garden

Durrushevar, the princess of Berar
was a handsome and autocratic
looking lady.
When she was living in Hyderabad
people would throng to see her than
the film star and former Chief
Minister, Mr. N.T.Rama Rao.
Her life was the stuff of fairy tales.

Despite being member of Ottoman royal family
she refused to be buried in Turkey since she was
upset that the Turkish Government refused her
father's burial in 1944 in Istanbul. She divided her
time predominantly between Hyderabad and
London, where she breathed her last, attended
by her two sons. Her Imperial and Exalted
Highness The Princess Hatice Hayriye Ayşe
Dürrüşehvar Sultan, Imperial Princess of the
Ottoman Empire, Princess of Berar

The Prince and Princess
of Berar were also well
known internationally.
In 1937 they were
amongst the relatives of
ruling princes who
attended the
Coronation of King
George VI and Queen
Elizabeth, and were
seated in the North
Choir Gallery of
Westminster Abbey.

In the 1990s, she
opened a hospital
that she had
established at
Purani Haveli, in
Hyderabad, India.

Inside Princess Durrushehvar’s hospital

Azam Jah
Circa 1946: Prince of
Berar, member of the
Nizam Royal family &
heir to the throne of
Hyderabad, relaxing with
his wife Durru Shevar as
their servants serve
them 'high' tea in their
palace.

The Princess of Berar presents a souvenir to Nawab Khusro
Jang at a polo match

The Princess became the first woman to inaugurate an airport
when she inaugurated the airport in Hyderabad in the1940s.
She is also credited with inaugurating
the Osmania General Hospital. She set up the Durru Shehvar
Children's & General Hospital for
women and children in the old city of Hyderabad.
Her last public appearance in the
city was when she presided over the opening ceremony of the
Nizam’s Silver Jubilee Museum in 2000.
She last visited Hyderabad in 2004.

Princess Durre Shehwar with members of the Ladies Club

CONCERN FOR THE POOR
She was fond of providing medicare to the poor
and needy.She set up the Durru Shehvar
Children's Hospital at Purani Haveli.
Highly respected and well-educated lady, the
princess was fluent in French, Turkish, English.
She also established a junior college for girls in
her name, Baghe-jahan-ara, Yakutpura.
The Princess aged 92 passed away in London on
February 7, 2006.

Princess Durru Shevar with her
grandchildren Prince Azmath Jah,
Princess Shehkyar and favourite
daughter-in-law Esra

REFERENCES
1.Wikipedia
2.www.thetelegraph.co.uk
3.www.pininterest.com
4.www.telegraphindia.com
5.www.thehindu.com
6.www.maqsoodqureshi.blogspot.in
7.www.thehindu.com, February 6, 2006

Ms. Dayamani Surya holds Master’s Degree in the English Literature
from Osmania University, Hyderabad, Post Graduate Certificate in
Teaching of English from CIEFL, Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching of
English from CIEFL, Bachelor’s degree in Science and Bachelor’s degree
in Education.
She holds online professional certifications like:
•Project Management
•Human Resource Management
•Financial Accounting
• Management and Accounting
• Business Process Outsourcing
•Advance Learning Certificate in English Literature Analysis from
Ireland.
As a Research Associate in the District Centre for English Scheme,
Department of Training and Development, The English and Foreign
Languages University, Hyderabad since 1 May 2007, her work focuses
on administration, curriculum development and teaching in the
International Training Programme for Foreign Students at the University.
She works online as a mentor, helps the scholars in their project work,
compilation of articles and research papers, contributes to the
publication of articles and international peer reviewed journals.

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