Azam Jah

Azam Jah, Damat Walashan Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur Bey Effendi (21/22 February 1907 - 9 October 1970) was the eldest son of the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII; In 1936 he was given the courtesy title of Prince of Berar, a territory of the Nizam then leased in perpetuity to the British and administered by them.

His wife, whom he married in Nice on 12 November 1931, was Princess Durr-e-Shevar who was one of the daughters of Abdul Mejid II, the last Ottoman Caliph and cousin and heir of the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. It has been suggested that through this dynastic union of one of the richest ruling Muslim families with the impoverished and exiled House of Osman (the administrative House of the Caliphs), the seventh nizam of Hyderabad hoped to acquire the Caliphate for his descendants.

The Nizam was regarded by TIME magazine in 1937 as the richest person in world with estimated wealth of $2 billion ; he is also regarded as the fifth wealthiest man in history with a fortune of $210 billion (adjusted to 2008 values) at its peak.

His marriage failed after producing two sons.

Azam Jah did not enjoy the confidence of his father and on the death of the seventh nizam, the title passed to Azam Jah's elder son, Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, as eighth nizam who remains the current pretender to the throne of Hyderabad.His youngest son is Muffakham Jah.

Residence

He lived at Bella Vista, Hyderabad, a 10 acre palace near Hussain Sagar.

Titles

• 1907-1911: Second Wali Ahad Nawab Mir Himayat 'Ali Khan Bahadur
• 1911-1936: Wali Ahad Nawab Mir Himayat 'Ali Khan Bahadur
• 1936-1937: Major His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Nawab Mir Himayat 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar
• 1937-1943: General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Nawab Mir Himayat 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar
• 1943-1945: General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Nawab Mir Sir Himayat 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar, GBE
• 1945-1946: General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Nawab Mir Sir Himayat 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar, GBE, MSM
• 1946-1970: General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Nawab Mir Sir Himayat 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar, GCIE, GBE, MSM

Honours

• King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
• King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
• Nizam Silver Jubilee Medal-1937
• Tunis Victory Medal-1942
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)-1943
• Defence Medal-1945
• British War Medal-1945
• Hyderabad War Medal-1945
• Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)-1945
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-1946

External links

• TIME magazine feature
• The Hindu: The prince and the palace
• When marriage brought continents closer