Esra Birgen
Princess Esra Birgen is a Hyderabadi Noble from Turkey, who was once married to Crown Prince Mukarram Jah, the Head of the House of Asaf Jah of the Kingdom of Hyderabad.
Personal life
Princess Esra married Prince Mukarram Jah in 1959. They were married for 15 years. They have a son Azmet and a daughter Shekhya. She lives in London.Princess Esra hospital was established by her in the year 1972 to provide subsidized medical facilities for the people of old city Hyderabad.
This hospital was recently acquired on lease by Owaisi group of hospitals.
Palace restoration
Princess Esra is credited with the restoration of Chowmahalla Palace and Falaknuma Palace. The former was opened to the public while the latter was leased as a luxury hotel to the Taj Group.She appointed architect Rahul Mehrotra to restore the Chowmahalla Palace.
She initiated a project for the royal palaces in August 2000. The restoration project for Chowmahalla Palace involved tasks ranging from stabilising the existing structural components to reconstitution of collapsed and dilapidated sections of the complex, restoration of external and internal spaces and decorative elements and finishes.