Azmet Jah

Nizam Mir Muhammad Azmet Ali Khan, Asaf Jah IX, known as Azmet Jah (also spelt as Azmat Jah, born 23 July 1960), is the current head of the House of Asaf Jah and the titular 9th Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar since 20 January 2023, though Indian law has not recognized such titles since the passage of the 26th Amendment to the Indian Constitution in 1971.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Mir Muhammad Azmet Ali Khan
Nizam of Hyderabad
Head of House of Asaf Jah
Tenure	14 January 2023 – present
Coronation	20 January 2023
Predecessor	Mukarram Jah
Born	(1960-07-23) 23 July 1960 (age 65) London, England
Spouse	Zeynap Naz Güvendiren
Names Walashan Nawab Azmet Jah, Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Azmet Ali Khan Bahadur, The Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, with the style of His Exalted Highness Regnal name Asaf Jah IX
Alma mater	Millfield Long Island University University of Southern California
House	House of Asaf Jah
Father	Mukarram Jah
Mother	Esra Birgen
Religion	Sunni Islam [citation needed]

Early life, family and education

Azmet Jah was born on 23 July 1960 in Paddington, London, to Mukarram Jah and Esra Jah,^[6][7] during the reign of his great-grandfather, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad. He did his early schooling in London.^[5] He attended the University of Southern California, from where he graduated in 1984.^[8][5] In 1996, he married Zeynap Naz Güvendiren in London. They have two children, a daughter and a son.^[5][9][10]

Career

He is a professional photographer and cinematographer^[9] and has worked with Steven Spielberg and Lord Richard Attenborough.^[5][11][12]

He has wielded the camera in the films Navy Seals and Life of Charlie Chaplin.^[13]

In 2011, he stated that he was working on two films, one on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (the first President of Turkey) and another one on his great grandfather, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan.^{[better source needed][13]}

Accession

Azmet Jah "acceded" to the defunct throne of the former Hyderabad State on 14 January 2023, following the death of his father, Mukarram Jah.^{[14][15][16][17][18][19]} Azmet Jah's ceremonial coronation took place on 20 January 2023.^[9][20][21] The coronation ceremony of Azmet Jah followed a pattern similar to the coronations of the Nizams before him, but it was a simple ceremony only attended by a few close friends. It was not recognized by the state government.^[22] It was held at Khilwat Mubarak at Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad.^[23]

Succession dispute

In the aftermath of Azmet Jah's coronation, the Majlis E Shabzadegan Society, consisting of over 4,500 extended family members (sahibzada and sahibzadi) of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, issued a press release alleging that Azmet Jah has neglected to take up the responsibilities of the family yet chose to take up the title of the ninth Nizam of Hyderabad.^[24]

See also

• Najaf Ali Khan - Second uncle (or first cousin once removed) of Azmet Jah
• Nizam of Hyderabad
• Asaf Jahi dynasty
• Hyderabad State