Tag Archives: Azmet Jah

Azmet Jah appears on city skyline after two years; asserts his position as Ninth Nizam

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Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

All is not well in paradise. Rumblings indicate legal firecrackers on Hyderabad’s skyline.

Hyderabad:

In a belated move, Prince Azmet Jah has come out with a declaration that he is the successor to his father, Prince Mukarram Jah Bahadur who passed away on January 15, 2023.

At that time, Mukarram Jah’s body was flown in from Turkey where he was living and died, to Hyderabad and laid to rest at the Royal Cemetery located within the courtyard of Makkah Masjid.

He was given the Guard of Honour by the Telangana State government.

Public notice

In a public notice published on the front page of Siasat Urdu daily on Saturday (July 5, 2025), Azmet Jah has claimed that on January 20, 2023, he was declared the titular head of the Asaf Jahi family. The notice carried his photograph with father Prince Mukarram Jah sharing the ‘gaddi’ (throne or chair).

The caption to the photograph does not say when the picture was taken but mentions that it was taken at Chowmahalla Palace to informally declare his son as heir.

The advertisement also carries another photograph in which he can be seen sitting alone on the same gaddi, and the caption reads that the photograph was taken on January 20, 2023.

The breaking of silence by Azmet Jah on the succession after over two years of the death of his father is intriguing. Some of the senior citizens of Hyderabad and observers of the ‘Royal Family’ are wondering why this time was chosen to make a public statement.

There could be two main reasons. One, that his brother from another mother, Ayesha (formerly Helen) Sikandar (Alexander) Jah has given him a legal notice a few months ago staking claim over the wealth left behind by Mukarram Jah (Siasat.com had carried the details of the notice at that time). He has said in the notice that he too is a shareholder in the properties left behind by his father.

Huge assets

The assets left behind by Mukarram Jah are huge. They include Chowmahalla Palace, Falaknuma Palace (which has been leased out to Taj Group of Hotels), a portion of Chiran Palace (which has been renamed by the state government as Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park in Banjara Hills), King Koti Palace and other sundry properties.

The allegedly penniless Sikandar Jah is said to be in the city pursuing the case he has filed by lawyers who have their office in Secunderabad. It is not known in what state that case is.

There is another twist in the tale. Raunaq Yar Khan, a scion of the Nizam family, has staked claim to the ‘kursi’ a little after the demise of Mukarram Jah. Some members of the Nizam family who describe themselves as Sahebzadas (sons) of the persons who were closely related to the Nizam have gathered around him and declared him as successor to Mukarram Jah, the eighth Nizam.

Raunaq is a claimant

Raunaq Yar Khan mostly carries a bundle of documents with him to prove that he is actually the current Nizam. Many people, including those in the media, toe his line.

According to the Royal Family sources, even the legitimacy of the Eighth Nizam, Mukarram Jah Bahadur is questionable. They cite the episode where Princess Ahmad Unnisa alias Shahzadi Pasha, daughter of the Nizam Seventh had questioned the legitimacy of the title bestowed or taken away by Mukarram Jah. She claimed rights to the title and assets as she was the true heir of her father. She took her claim to the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and won. The verdict was challenged by Mukarram Jah in the Supreme Court. It was there that the aunt and nephew reached an understanding (it is not known at what cost), and the matter was declared closed.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Opinions / by Mir Ayoub Ali Khan / July 05th, 2025

Holy revival

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Azam Jah , Shehkar Jah, Princess Esra Jah and Azmet Jah ./ PHOTO: P.V.SIVAKUMAR
Azam Jah , Shehkar Jah, Princess Esra Jah and Azmet Jah ./ PHOTO: P.V.SIVAKUMAR

36 restored Nizam-era Qurans complete with precious gold and gem stone ink are on display at Chowmahalla

Today Chowmahalla palace will be teeming with visitors and lovers of history to see the unveiling of numerous Qurans some of which date back to early 1400 A.D. Princess Esra, of the erstwhile royal family, who has been an important part of the revival and restoration of the Qurans says, “It was a Herculean task but worth the sweat and effort. These valuable Qurans couldn’t have been let to rot in the state they were found. Once we discovered the collection we took notice of the work it needed and set out with a serious pace,” she revealed .

A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad / AFP
A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad / AFP

Esra adds, “It’s only for the sake of culture and heritage. When I came here as a bride I was shown night pictures of the lanes and areas and I was in awe of the silenceand solitude . My mother used to tell me ‘you will know once you get there,’ and after I came to Hyderabad I realised what it meant to be a part of the royal family,” she smiled. In awe of the grandeur and the luxury as well as the love that people had for the royal family, she felt humbled. “When I returned after years to see the dilapidated state of the things I had touched and felt, including the Qurans, I was grief-stricken; I couldn’t let them rot away. I am sure even the Nizams themselves didn’t know how many of the precious holy book of scriptures they owned. When the final discovery was made, the total number of the Qurans, of all sizes, stood at 36. There are some very tiny ones as well,” she says.

Conservators working on the antique cloth quran / AFP
Conservators working on the antique cloth quran / AFP

Esra also speaks with pride of another cloth Quran that was found; the entire Quranwritten on cloth. The cloth’s dimensions stood at 9.5 feet x 5 feet. The Qurans are of immense value not only because of their heritage but also the quality of ink used in them. “Besides gold and silver ink, inks made from powdered gems and semi precious stones were also used. In some Qurans mother-of -pearl has also been used as ink,” informs G. Kishan Rao, director of Chowmahalla Palace.

Indian paper conservators restore antique copies of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
Indian paper conservators restore antique copies of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP

A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP

Restoration work of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
Restoration work of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP

Since no royal item is permitted to go outside the Palace, specialists from The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) have been approached. “They worked continuously for two years to revive the precious books, with Esra’s continual monitoring. The restored Qurans will be displayed in the room opposite the Council Hall in the palace,” informs Kishan Rao.

The Qurans will be unveiled by Esra and Muffakham Jah’s son at Chowmahalla Palace today.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Events / by Prabalika M. Borah / Hyderabad – February 06th, 2014