In the memory of

Princess Niloufer

PRINCESS
NILOUFER WAS
ONE OF THE TOP
TEN BEAUTIFUL
WOMEN OF THE
WORLD!
HER PHOTOS
APPEARED IN THE
COVER PAGES OF
MAGAZINES!

Niloufer was a
perfect
princess in
many ways
and a
remarkably
beautiful
woman of her
time.

Niloufer was born on 4th January,

1916, in the Goztepe Palace in
Istanbul in Turkey. Her mother was
Adile Sultan, a grand-daughter of
Sultan Murad V.
Adile was married and divorced
earlier and it was with her second
husband, Salahuddin Morali, that she
gave birth to Niloufer.

AS A QUEEN OF FASHION

Princess Niloufer With Begum Aga

Khan

Princess Niloufer had

flamboyant taste for
fashion which was
reflected in her sarees.
Her fashion was widely
talked about even in
Europe. 34 of her
sarees were presented
to the Fashion Institute
of Technology at New
York.

These saris were worn by Princess

Niloufer Farhat Begum Saheba of
Hyderabad (1916-1989).
As the consort of an Indian prince, she
was required to wear saris. Having grown
up in France, mostly she commissioned
designs that reflected flare for Western
fashion, sensibility in their color, motif, and
placement of embellishment.
These particular saris were made in India,
but Princess Niloufer also commissioned
saris from French designers such as
Jeanne Lanvin.
Saris, Circa 1946, India, Gifts of Mr. Edward
Pope, 92.132.18 and 92.132.26, photograph by
Irving Solero

Her Highness
the Princess
Niloufer of
Hyderabad,
c.1946, gift of
Evelyn Pope in
memory of
Edward J. Pope

Princess Niloufer
was married to
the second son of
the last Nizam of
Hyderabad.
She was also the
last princess of
the Ottoman
Empire.

At the age of eight, Niloufer moved

to Nice in France.

THE PRINCESS WAS

BROUGHT UP IN
FRANCE

Princess Niloufer of Turkey

Princess
Niloufer of
Hyderabad
(1916-1989).
Paris, March
1947.

Niloufer had a style of dressing that attracted the

public . She captured the attention of the fashion
media. Her sarees were especially crafted by
Madhavdas, a designer from Bombay.
These were frequently reviewed and analyzed.
Even in later years, when she shifted to wearing
European style clothes when travelling abroad,
she still managed to cut a fine figure.
One of her European dresses formed the topic of
discussion in the New York Times in 1961.

Princess niloufer khanum sultana

The deposition of the Khalifa was a significant political event.

Mahatma Gandhi felt that this would be the right time for the
Khilafat movement, to restore the Khalifa. The leaders of the
movement were Maulana Mohammed Ali and Maulana Shoukat
Ali. During this movement, Shoukat Ali came to be on very
friendly terms with the Khalifa.
Thus, in 1931, seeing that the Khalifa had no son, Shoukat Ali
proposed that the Khalifas daughter, Durru Shehvar, be
married to Azam Jah. The negotiations for the terms of the
marriage started, but soon broke down, as the Nizam felt that
the requirement for the Mehr was exorbitant. Eventually, the
Nizam was able to get two marriages within the specified
amount. In this way, the marriage of Niloufer to Moazzam Jah
was finalized. They were married on November 12, 1931; at
this wedding, the Khalifa himself acted as the Kazi.

Ex-sultan of Turkey Sultan Abdul Mejid (front row, centre) with

Princess Durrushehvar and Prince Azam Jah on the left and Princess
Niloufer and Prince Moazzam Jah on the right, in Nice, France after

Princess Niloufer With her husband, Prince

Moazzam Jah

Princess N iloufer (extreme

right) with Nizam Osman Ali
Khan and his daughter

At the age of 15, she married the

second son of Nizam, Moazzam Jah.
Her philanthropy and empathy for
the poor and the sick took the form
of the iconic, prestigious Institute
Niloufer Hospital to serve, care and
nurture many a sick, sane and
critical cases.

Mission Statement

!! Together we share and

care, give and grow !!

Niloufer Hospitalhad been housed in a magnificent building in the heart of historic

Hyderabad with an interesting past. The reputed institution was founded in 1949 by
the benevolent princess Niloufer, who was the daughterof Ottoman Empire of France,
married prince Moazzam Jah, the second son of seventh Nizam (the last of the Asaf
Jahi rulers) of Hyderabad in 1931.
Such was the story of a lovable dream of a French princess who had the vision to
serve the poor surprisingly in India just like Florence nightingale, who served the poor
as a nurse. In 1953 what began as a 100 bed hospital with a specific vision to meet
the health requirements of both mother and child, was destined to progress with no
backward looking. Initially the authorities had an unnerving and unstinting efforts.
The hospital fleet developed from a 100 bed occupancy to 500 beds with advanced
maternity, pediatric, pediatric surgery supported by excellent diagnostic facilities.

While her private life seemed empty due to lack

of children, her public life became very
glittering. She was invited to several functions,
inaugurated several events and became a
torch-bearer for womens advancement. During
the Second World War, she obtained training as
a nurse, and helped in relief efforts.
Her beauty, and her active public life, received
high acclaim in the press, and her portfolios
featured in magazines. She was judged one of
the 10 most beautiful women in the world, and
was offered several roles in films.

When India became independent, Niloufer was in a peculiar

position. Hyderabad had yet to decide on joining the Indian
Union. As this situation dragged on, eventually Hyderabad
was amalgamated into the Indian Union by a Police Action.
Although the Nizam was retained as the Head of the State,
he was just a shadow of his former self.
Niloufer decided never to return to India again. Her marriage
with Moazzam Jah came to an end in 1952. She continued to
live in Paris, with her mother, in a flat. Since she was barely
36, she continued to attract a lot of attention, and had some
of the most famous people as friends. She was offered yet
another role in a Hollywood film, but she turned it down
again.
Niloufer died on 12 June 1989(aged73)Paris, France 9 and
was buried next to her mother.

REFERENCES
1.Wikipedia
2.The Siasat Daily : Niloufer the last Princess ,
Sunday , 3 January 2010 by Arvind Acharya

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Ms. Dayamani Surya holds Masters Degree in the English Literature from Osmania University,
Hyderabad, Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching of English from CIEFL, Post Graduate Diploma in
Teaching of English from CIEFL, Bachelors degree in Science and Bachelors degree in Education.
She holds online professional certifications like:
Project Management
Human Resource Management
Financial Accounting
Management and Accounting
Business Process Outsourcing
Advance Learning Certificate in English Literature Analysis from Ireland.
As a Research Associate in the District Centre for English Scheme, Department of Training and
Development, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad since 1 May 2007, her work
focuses on administration, curriculum development and teaching in the International Training
Programme for Foreign Students at the University.
At the personal level, she works online as a mentor, helps the scholars in their project work,
compilation of articles and research papers, contributes to the publication of articles and international
peer reviewed journals.