Moazzam Jah


Moazzam Jah, Walashan Shahzada Nawab Mir Sir Shuja’at ‘Ali Khan Siddiqui Bahadur, KCIE, was the son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and his first wife Dulhan Pasha Begum.
He first married Princess Niloufer, one of the last princesses of the Ottoman empire. He later had two other wives, Anwari Begum Saheba and Razia Begum Saheba. In 1947, he was granted the personal style of Highness by the King-Emperor George VI.
He was a poetry enthusiast who had close ties with the poet Najm Afandi after the latter moved from Agra to Hyderabad State. The Prince also wrote poetry under the pen name Shahji.
Jah stayed at the Hill Fort Palace, Hyderabad.
The popular Moazzam Jahi Market of Hyderabad is named after him.

Early life

Jah was born as Mir Shujaat Ali Khan on 2 January 1908. His father was Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad State of British India. Jah's mother Dulhan Pasha Begum was the first wife of Osman Ali Khan. Jah had an elder brother Azam Jah.
During his youth, Jah was popularly known as Junior Prince. He received an annual grant from his father, the Nizam.

Poet

Jah was fond of poetry. He composed Urdu poems and ghazals under the pseudonym "Shahji". He setup his own court of poetry in the Hill Fort Palace in which around 30 Urdu poets from as far as Lucknow and Delhi. Poets like Abrar Hasan khan Asar malihabadi and many famous poets participate. The court met at night only. The poets used to arrive at his court during the evening. A dinner was held at midnight. Jah used to recite the poems composed by himself at the court. After him, the other poets used to recite their own. It continued until the adhan of the Fajr prayer.

Personal life

On 12 November 1931, Jah married Niloufer, aged 15, a princess of the Ottoman Empire at Nice in France. On the same day, Jah's elder brother Azam Jah married Niloufer's cousin Durru Shehvar. These weddings were held as "union of two great dynasties" by contemporary records. Niloufer's inability to bear any child strained their marriage. In 1952, after 21 years of marriage, they separated.
In 1948, Jah married for a second time to Razia Begum.

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