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Home  General Princess Durru Shahvar
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Sunday, 22 October 2006 |
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Princess Durru Shahvar was born in Turkey when the Ottoman empire was passing through its last phase. Her father, Sultan Abdul Majeed, migrated to France when Kemal Ataturk took over. It was here that the marriage of the princess was performed through 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, who was raised to succeed her father with modern education and martial training, became the most popular face after her arrival in Hyderabad.
Following the birth of her sons Prince Mukarram Jah in 1933 and Prince Muffakham Jah in 1936, she took charge of their upbringing. That is the reason the two princes were not only educated in Britain but also married Turkish ladies. The last Nizam later bypassed his own son and nominated her first son and his grandson, as his successor.
The sources said that Prince Muffakham Jah from London phoned his wife Princess Esin in Hyderabad and informed her about Princess Durru Shahvar passing.
The Princess had become the first woman to inaugurate an airport when she inaugurated the the airport in Hyderabad in the 1940s. She is also credited with inaugurating the Osmana General Hospital. She set up a hospital for women and children in the old city which is named after her.
Her last public appearance in the city was when she presided over the opening ceremony of the Nizam Silver Jubilee Museum in 2000. Owing to her fragile health, her visits to Hyderabad had become infrequent. She last visited Hyderabad in 2004. She is survived by two sons and their grandchildren.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 03 November 2006 )
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