Nevvare Hanım


Nevvare Hanım was the fourth wife of Sultan Mehmed VI of the Ottoman Empire.

Early life

Nevvare Hanım was born on 4 May 1901 in Derbent, Ottoman Empire. Born as Ayşe Çıhçı, she was a member of Abkhazian noble family, Çıhçı. Her father was Mustafa Bey Çıhcı, the son of Süleyman Bey Çıhçı. Her mother was Hafize Hanım Kap-Ipha, the daughter of Nevruz Bey Kap-Ipha. She had two elder siblings, Şefika Hanım and Ahmet Şükrü Bey, and four younger siblings, Hasan Bey, Fikri Bey, Halime Hanım and Hacer Nüvit Hanım. Through her grandfather, she was related to Müveddet Kadın, third wife of Sultan Mehmed VI, whose grandfather Mat Bey was a brother of Süleyman Bey.
As a young child, she had been sent to live-in Mehmed's Çengelköy mansion when he had been a prince, where after sometime she became a lady-in-waiting to Müveddet Kadın. Her name according to the costum of the Ottoman court was Nevvare.

First marriage

Nevvare married Mehmed on 20 June 1918 in the Dolmabahçe Palace. Mehmed was fifty seven, while Nevvare was seventeen years old. Nevvare remained childless. After Mehmed's accession to the throne on 4 July 1918, She was given the title of "Senior Fortunate".
After Mehmed's deposition in 1922, he was sent into exile in San Remo. She, like rest of the family members, was imprisoned in Feriye Palace. Although, she wanted to go to San Remo, however, because of her illness, she went to live-in with her family in Derbent. The two divorced on 20 May 1924 on her request.

Second marriage

Nevvare returned to Istanbul, and married a trader named Mevlüd Sönmezler in 1926, and took the name Leyla Sönmezler. They first settled in Ferenyolu, then in Şişli. In the beginning of 1970s they settled in Derbent. Her husband died in 1974.

Death

Nevvare died on 22 June 1992 in her mansion in Derbent, and was buried in a cemetery in Derbent.