Background
He was born in Çırağan Palace, Ortaköy on 5 July 1883, as the eldest son of Prince Mehmed Selaheddin Efendi, by his wife, Naziknaz Başhanımefendi, and grandson of Sultan Mehmed V. He was educated privately.
He was born in Çırağan Palace, Ortaköy on 5 July 1883, as the eldest son of Prince Mehmed Selaheddin Efendi, by his wife, Naziknaz Başhanımefendi, and grandson of Sultan Mehmed V. He was educated privately.
He was promoted to the rank of Colonel of Infantry of the Ottoman Army. Ahmed Efendi received the honors of the Collar of the Hanedan-ı-Ali-Osman and the Nişan-ı-Ali-Imtiyaz. Had he been the reigning Sultan he would have been Sultan Ahmed IV. Ahmed Nihad Efendi, spent his entire childhood and early adulthood confined in Çırağan Palace, Ortaköy in Constantinople (Istanbul).
The restrictions imposed on the former Sultan extended to his entire family, and were not lifted until his death in 1904.
From 1911 until his exile he lived in the mansion which he had designed himself and had built on Serencebey hill overlooking Beşiktaş and from 1915 he would spend the summer months at the Muradiye Pavilion in Kurbağalıdere. However, he would only enjoy 20 years of freedom in his homeland, as following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, and the abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate and the Caliphate, the entire Imperial Ottoman family were forced into exile in March 1924.
Aged 41, Ahmed Nihad, left Turkey never to return, since he died before the decree of exile was lifted. In 1937 he moved to Beirut, Lebanon where he lived for the rest of his life.
Ahmed Nihad was a pious and dutiful man, who had a talent for architectural design and carpentry.
As the former Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI had settled in San Remo, many members of the family had congregated to the South of France. In exile was always very difficult since members of the Imperial Ottoman family had no financial means, and all yearned to return to their homeland but for Ahmed Nihad life was made harder after he suffered a stroke which left him handicapped. Since many members of the family had settled in the Middle East following their exile, they frequently visited him in Beirut to pay homage, as was the custom of the family.