Nizam's jewels
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The jewels await a museum
While nostalgia haunts Hyderabad on the last Nizam's legacy , residents have been allowed only two glimpses of the royal treasure trove: in 2001 and in 2006 when the jewels were exhibited at Salar Jung Museum for brief periods. Both times, the event drew lakhs of visitors before treasure was sent back to RBI vaults.
Great grandson of the last Nizam, Himayath Ali Mirza, said: “We will seek an audience with Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to reiterate our demand.Hyderabad must have its own museum to display the Nizam's jewellery .“ His mother Fatima Fouzia and maternal uncle, Shahmat Jah, couldn't agree more. In fact, together they are even willing to knock on Supreme Court's doors to facilitate return of jewellery to Hyderabad.
Even as one section of society in Hyderabad is apprehensive about the family's plans, citing infighting as a reason for their concern, Nizam's descendants claim they are united on the issue. The family apart, a many historians and city old-timers too make a similar appeal. “Let it still be Government of India's property , but display it in Hyderabad where it belongs,“ said a city historian.
“If they (jewels) went on permanent display , these would attract many thousands of visitors from India and abroad. They are unique, a national treasure that shouldn't be locked away in a bank vault. To do so is an aberration that wouldn't be tolerated in most countries,“ said John Zubrzycki, author of The Last Nizam. Referring to Hyderabad as the “natural home“ of the jewels, he said it's “high time“ they were returned.
While some hoped this shift would be made possible when the TRS government assumed office given KCR's respect for the Nizam the three-year-old government has made no such move. “We thought KCR would at least raise this issue with the Centre, but that of course hasn't been the case. Let us see if he breaks his silence in future,“ said a city heritage expert.
“While Hyderabad is far more impressive than Rajasthan, the city draws fewer tourists because much of its history was destroyed within first 50 years after the end of Nizam's rule. Apart from Chowmahalla and Falaknuma, they haven't done anything to enhance its appeal,“ said William Dalrymple, writer and historian. For him too, Hyderabad is the “obvious choice“ for housing the Nizam's jewels.
Nizam’s sword
2022: Nizam’s sword set to return to India
From: Sep 22, 2022: The Hindu
A 14th-century ceremonial sword that was sold in Hyderabad to a British General in the early 20th century is set to return to India. The sword is among the seven objects being repatriated by Glasgow Life, which manages Glasgow’s museums.
While the objects were described as stolen, the acquisition document for the sword says it was purchased from Maharaja Kishen Pershad.
Bought in 1905
Jonathon Reilly, communications officer of Glasgow Life, said: “The tulwar (sword) was purchased in 1905 by General Sir Archibald Hunter, Commander-in-Chief, Bombay Command (1903-1907), from Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Bahadur Yamin us-Sultanat, the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. The tulwar was donated by Sir Hunter’s nephew, Mr. Archibald Hunter Service, to Glasgow Life museums’ collections in 1978.”
The sword, shaped like a snake, has serrated edges and a damascene pattern, with gold etchings of an elephant and tigers.
Sale of jewellery
2019/ Necklace
Mir Ayoob Ali Khan, June 21, 2019: The Times of India
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From: Mir Ayoob Ali Khan, June 21, 2019: The Times of India
From: Mir Ayoob Ali Khan, June 21, 2019: The Times of India
Nizam’s necklace sold for Rs 17 crore at Christie’s
HYDERABAD: The 400 pieces of Indian jewellery that were put under the hammer at Christie’s in New York on June 19, fetched about $109 million (Rs 758 crore approximately), including several from the treasure house of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. One of the pieces from Hyderabad, a ceremonial sword of the Nizam, fetched Rs 13.4 crore, while the Mirror of Paradise diamond (52.58 carats), which originated from Golconda mines, went for $6,517,500 (nearly Rs 45 crore).
Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, the Nizam’s family was glued online to find out the exact price for which the jewels were sold. Mir Najaf Ali Khan, grandson of late Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, said he almost cried when the white pearl necklace was sold. During the auction, a 17-carat Golconda “Arcot II” diamond, once owned by the Nawab of Arcot, went for $3,375,00 (Rs 23.5 crore).
A statement from the Christie’s said it was the highest total for any auction of Indian art and Mughal objects, and the second-highest auction total for a private jewellery collection.
The auction continued for over 12 hours and had bidders from India and 44 other countries. Royal families of Jaipur, Indore and Baroda were also represented in the sale.
The auction started with the ‘Indore Sapphire Taveez Bead Pendant Necklace, Mounted by Cartier for Indore’s Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar II. He was educated in England and was known for gifting expensive jewels to his wife. The royal necklace fetched $60,000 (Rs 42 lakh), the auctioneers said.
The collection of jewellery was owned by the cousin of the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani.
“We witnessed a record total for the world’s greatest collection of Indian jewels and jewelled objects to ever be brought to auction,” Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Jewellery at Christie’s, said in a statement.
The collection of jewellery was owned by the cousin of the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. Sheikh Al Thani is relatively a new entrant into the jewellery collection and sale business. He began buying precious pieces somewhere in 2009. Today he is said to own about 6,000 pieces of jewellery from across the world.
The seventh and the last Nizam’s successor Mir Barkat Ali Khan alias Nawab Mukarram Jah is unwell and lives in Turkey. His younger brother Mir Karamat Ali Khan alias Nawab Muffakham Jah has chosen to live in London. It is not known what were their reactions over the sale of jewellery.
Stolen items
Theft in 2018
From: Srinath Vudali, Nizam’s gold tiffin box, teacup stolen from museum in Hyderabad, September 4, 2018: The Times of India
From: Srinath Vudali, Nizam’s gold tiffin box, teacup stolen from museum in Hyderabad, September 4, 2018: The Times of India
From: Srinath Vudali, September 12, 2018: The Times of India
From: Srinath Vudali, September 12, 2018: The Times of India
In a daring heist hours after September 2, 2018, midnight, burglars slipped into the Nizam’s Museum at Purani Haveli through a ventilator and decamped with an extravagantly expensive diamond-studded gold tiffin box and a gold teacup used by the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII.
Hyderabad police formed 10 teams to nab the perpetrators of the seamlessly executed crime. The antiques could fetch up to Rs 50 crore at international auction. The three-tiered gold tiffin box weighs 2kg and is studded with diamonds and rubies.
Police said they received an alert from museum authorities about missing valuables from the display cupboard. A team sealed the premises to prevent erosion of evidence.
An examination of the crime scene revealed a burglar entered the room through the wooden ventilator and used a rope to scale the wall. That the thieves were well-versed with the layout of the room can be gauged from the fact that they twisted the CCTV camera just beneath the ventilator to avoid being captured in footage.
After climbing down 20 feet to touch the floor, the burglars broke open the frame of the cupboard and stole the antiques. They exited via the same route.
Around 9am when the museum was opened, employees found the valuables missing and raised the alarm.
Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar and other senior officers visited the museum on Monday evening and took stock of the investigation. Police scanned CCTV footage, which showed a man entering through the ventilator, but his face was blurred. Police suspect that it was an inside job, maybe of a man earlier employed by the museum.
“After registering a case, a dog squad and clues team were pressed into service. Already 10 teams are on the lookout for the accused. We are told the missing articles belong to VII Nizam,’’ said assistant commissioner of police (Mirchowk division) B Anand.
See also
Mukarram Jah Bahadur @Nawab Mir Barkat Ali Khan
Nizam's jewels
