Rare photos of last Nizam Mukarram Jah on display at Chowmahalla Palace

HYDERABAD: An exhibition featuring over 250 rare and previously unseen photographs of the late Mukarram Jah Bahadur, the eighth titular Nizam of Hyderabad, opened at Chowmahalla Palace on Monday to mark his birth anniversary.

The exhibition, organised at the invitation of Princess Esra Jah, was inaugurated by Azmet Jah Bahadur in the presence of Princess Shehkar Jah and Princess Niloufer Jah. Curated and designed by Anuradha Naik Associates, the display traces the life and legacy of Mukarram Jah through photographs, objects, and archival documents sourced from private family collections and the Chowmahalla Palace archives.

Tribute to education and philanthropy
The exhibition showcases the Nizam’s multifaceted contributions to education and charity. It will open to the public on October 7. A striking photograph shows Princess Esra Jah viewing one of the exhibits after the inauguration ceremony.

Life and legacy of the eighth Nizam
Mukarram Jah, chosen by his grandfather Mir Osman Ali Khan as his successor, was crowned on April 6, 1967, and recognised as the Nizam of Hyderabad until the abolition of privy purses in 1971.

In 1962, he volunteered to serve at the border and was appointed an honorary lieutenant, later elevated to honorary colonel by the President of India. He also served as pro-chancellor of Osmania University and established the Mukarram Jah Trust for Education and Learning at Purani Haveli Palace.

Mukarram Jah passed away in Istanbul on January 14, 2023, and was laid to rest at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.