Exclusive: Two letters at Salar Jung Museum spur debate about Nizam’s lineage to Ottoman

Hyderabad: Two letters displayed at the exhibition at Salar Jung Museum have once again spurred the debate about the connection between the Nizam dynasty and Ottoman Empire.

Titled 'The Caliph's Extraordinary World', the two letters have become a matter of discussion among historians and other heritage experts in Hyderabad.

The letter and a deed were displayed at the two-day exhibition dedicated to late Mir Barakat Ali Khan Bahadur Mukarram Jah, the eighth Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty.

Caliphate transfer document

The first letter in Urdu/Persian has the transferring of custodianship of the title of Caliph to Seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur. The transfer of the Caliphate is from Ottoman Empire Abdul Mejid II. The last Caliph was based in Turkey.

Caliphate is a general leadership of Muslims of the world and the leader must implement the laws of Islam and convey the message of Islam.

This system bears no resemblance to any of the governments in the world and it is binding only on the believers of Islam.

Experts are trying to figure out whether the last Caliph wrote the letter. And does the Asaf Jah dynasty become the descendants of the Caliphate? If so, is the letter authenticated before displaying in a public museum?

“The museum just offered space for the Turkish exhibition. We had no part in it in terms of authentication. It was completely organized by Rahnuma-E-Deccan Daily” said Venugopal P, present consultant of Salar Jung Museum.

This exhibition was organized along with the Turkish Consulate by the 100-year-old newspaper of Hyderabad Rahnuma-E-Deccan which was originally a newspaper of the Nizam’s.

Dated and not dated

There are two letters of which one is dated November 19, 1932, and the other does not have a date. Princess Zairin Mukarram Jah, daughter of Mukarram Jah is in the city and she dedicated this exhibition to the memory of her father.

Princess Zairin Mukarram Jah shared that her great-grandfather Abdul Mejid II prepared a document, wherein he appointed her father, even before he was conceived by her grandmother, to be his successor to the Imperial title of the Caliphate.

“The Seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan was to be interim Caliph of Islam until her father was of age and ready. However, due to changes in the world, these documents were handed over to the military secretary of Nizam Syed Mohammed Amiruddin Khan for safekeeping.

Almariah of treasures

Lots of questions are doing rounds as to how these letters are surfaced now.

Syed Ahmed Khan, editor of Rahnuma-E-Deccan said: “When Syed Vicaruddin former editor of the newspaper passed away, I and my mother wanted the legal papers in place. At that time, we were going through Almaraih’s and found two trunks of paper. These are in Arabic, Urdu, and Persian language. Since I don’t understand them, it was kept aside and I got them translated by an expert. These two letters are of importance and when the Princess decided to visit Hyderabad it was decided to put on display.”

Before the display also, in Urdu papers there were editorials written about this claim. It is a well-known fact that Mir Osman Ali Khan was to be bestowed the Caliphate. But whether he was bestowed or not remains shrouded in mystery.

Khan’s grandfather Syed Mohammed Amiruddin Khan was the military secretary of the Nizam. The letter was handed over to him and it was in the family for long. But no one from the family was aware of it.

It was only while they were searching for legal documents, that these were found. “These are now our collection. The letters of succession are given to family members. But as Osman Ali Khan Bahadur handed it over to my grandfather it will now be in our custody. The debate of whether it is authentic or not, “It is on our belief systems,” he said.