Who was the eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Barkat Ali Khan, who died in Turkey?

The eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Barkat Ali Khan, also known as Prince Mukarram Jah Bahadur (89), passed suddenly on Saturday night in Istanbul, the Turkish capital, according to a statement from his office on Sunday. On January 17, his children are expected to go to Hyderabad with his mortal remains in order to fulfil the Prince’s wish to be buried in his own country. The statement said, “We are deeply saddened to inform that Nawab Mir Barket Ali Khan Walashan Mukarram Jah Bahadur, H.E.H The Eighth Nizam of Hyderabad passed away peacefully in Istanbul, Turkey, late last night at 10:30 pm (IST).” “On arrival, the body will be taken to The Chowmahalla Palace, and after completing the required rituals the burial will take place at the Asaf Jahi family tombs,” the statement added. It said that the schedule and other information will be released in due course.

Mukarram Jah, the eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, passed away on 12 January, 2023, at the age of 89. Mukarram Jah, the grandson of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, was the successor to the formerly princely kingdom of Hyderabad. Mukarram Jah, who was born into one of the richest royal families in pre-Independence India, shared his grandfather’s title as the richest person in the nation until the 1980s. Azam Jah, the heir apparent of Nizam Osman Ali Khan, and Princess Durru Shehvar, the imperial princess of the Ottoman Empire of Turkey and the daughter of the last Ottoman Caliph Abdulmejid II, gave birth to Jah in France. Jah attended prestigious institutions in London and Cambridge, England, as well as the renowned Dehradun residential school Doon School. 

Mukarram Jah attended the London School of Economics as well. Jah was close with Jawahar Lal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister. The titular Nizam disclosed in 2010 that PM Nehru wanted him to serve as either his personal representative or the Indian ambassador to a Muslim nation. It is known that Mukarram Jah had a net worth of almost $1 billion. After forfeiting certain assets as part of the 1990s divorce settlement, Jah who had been India’s richest man until the 1980s saw a decline in his net worth. However, he was the owner of some landmark structures, such as the Chowmahalla Palace, which is now a museum, and the Falaknuma Palace, which is now a luxury hotel owned by Taj hotels. Mukarram Jah also possessed the Nazri Bagh Palace, Chiraan Palace, and Purani Haveli in Hyderabad as well as the Naukhanda Palace in Aurangabad in addition to Falaknuma and Chowmahalla. 

Jah wed five times in all, the first time to a Turkish noblewoman. According to reports, he divorced her because she refused to follow his wishes and move from the palace in Hyderabad to a sheep property in the Australian outback. Then he wed an ex-BBC employee who was also an air hostess. After the passing of his second wife in 1992, he wed Miss Turkey Manolya Onur, who was to become his third wife. He wed a Moroccan lady and a Turkish woman twice more. His full stylised name is: His Exalted Highness Prince Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VIII, Muzaffar ul-Mamalik, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Barakat ‘Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar.