Azam Jah, also known as Azam Jah Damat Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur Bey Effendi, was the Prince of Berar and the eldest son of Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII, the 7th and last Nizam of the princely state of Hyderabad. In the year 1936, He received the courtesy title of Prince of Berar, which was a region leased for perpetuity to the British by the Nizam. It was governed and administered by the British Government. Azam Jah was married to Her Imperial Highness The Princess Hatice Hariye Durr-e-Shevar on 12th November 1931 at Nice (Nizza) in France. She was the daughter of His Imperial Majesty Caliph Abdul Mejid II, who was the Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe, Caliph of Islam. The royal couple had 2 sons. Soon afterwards the marriage failed.
As Nizam Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII of Hyderabad was not confident of Azam Jah as a worthy and competent ruler, thus he passed the royal title in favour of Sahebzada Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, who was the eldest son of Azam Jah. Barkat Ali Khan remains the present successor to the royal throne of Hyderabad. The youngest son of Prince Azam Jah of Berar was Sahebzada Mir Karamat Ali Khan Muffakham Jah. Azam Jah lived in a palace at Bella Vista in Hyderabad, near Hussain Sagar.
Titles of Azam Jah
Azam Jah, the titular Prince of Berar held many titles, which are mentioned as follows-
* Second Wali Ahad Nawab Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur (1907- 1911)
* Wali Ahad Sahebzada Nawab Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur (1911- 1936)
* Major His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Mir Himayat `Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar (1936- 1937)
* General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Mir Himayat `Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar (1937- 1943)
* General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Mir Sir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar, GBE (1943- 1945)
* General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Mir Sir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar, GBE, MSM (1945- 1946)
* General His Highness Azam Jah, Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Mir Sir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur, Prince of Berar, GCIE, GBE, MSM (1946- 1970)
Honours of Azam Jah
The Indian Prince Azam Jah was honoured a number of times by the British administration, such as-
* King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935)
* King George VI Coronation Medal (1937)
* Nizam Silver Jubilee Medal (1937)
* Tunis Victory Medal (1942)
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire- GBE (1943)
* Defence Medal (1945)
* British War Medal (1945)
* Hyderabad War Medal (1945)
* Meritorious Service Medal- MSM (1945)
* Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire- GCIE (1946)