'I belong to this land': Twice-exiled princess who was oldest surviving member of Ottoman dynasty dies in Turkey, aged 91
By Emma Reynolds
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A princess who was the oldest surviving member of the Ottoman dynasty has died at age of 91.
Fatma Neslisah Osmanoglu, or Neslisah Sultan, married an Egyptian prince and was twice forced into exile when both royal households were abolished.
She died in Istanbul on Monday, according to her nephew, Abdulhamid Kayihan Osmanoglu.
Brave woman: Princess Neslisah married an Egyptian prince and was twice forced into exile when both royal households were abolished
Her funeral was held yesterday, following her death from what was reported to be a heart attack.
Princess Neslisah was born in Istanbul on February 4, 1921, two years before the Turkish Republic replaced the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled Turkey, parts of the Middle East and eastern Europe for 600 years.
Nomadic lifestyle: The princess was born in Istanbul two years before the Turkish Republic replaced the Ottoman Empire and later lived in France and Eygpt
Her grandfather, the last Ottoman Sultan Vahdettin, and all other members of the dynasty were sent into exile in 1924, and the princess spent her childhood and adolescence in Nice, France, before moving to Egypt.
'When we were in exile we lived longing for the country,' she told historian Murat Bardakci, whose biography of the princess was published last year.
'My mother had friends who would go to Istanbul. I would ask them to bring me back a bit of soil from Istanbul, but none did.'
Ottoman princesses were traditionally married to members of Muslim royal families, and in 1940, Neslisah Sultan married Egyptian Prince Muhammed Abdel Monem.
Prince Monem headed a regency committee that ruled from July 1952 to June 1953, when the new rulers of Egypt turned the country into a republic.
The royal couple were placed under house arrest, accused of being part of an international plot against the Egyptian government of Gamal Abdel Nasser, but acquitted and forced to leave the country.
Exiled for a second time, Princess Neslisah returned to live in France with her husband.
In 1952, the Turkish government allowed female members of the Ottoman family to return to Turkey, and the prince and princess moved to Istanbul in 1957.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the late princess.
Emotional: Neslisah's funeral took place yesterday and she is survived by a son, daughter and a grandson
'She was the poster-child for nobleness who carried the blood of Osman,' he said in Parliament, referring to Osman I, the Anatolian ruler who established the Ottoman Empire. 'We remember her with high regard and our blessings.'
The princess took the surname Osmanoglu, or son of Osman, along with other surviving members of the dynasty.
'When I go out in the streets, I see that all nice things were built by my grandfathers,' she told her biographer. 'I therefore cannot help think that they belong to me. I feel like I am a part of this place and that I belong to this land.'
Sultan Vahideddin (Mehmed VI) departing from the backdoor of the  in Istanbul in 1922.
Map of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 16th century. 

 Osmanoğlu, who was the last  royal born during the , died at age 91, reportedly from a heart attack, Monday and was buried in Istanbul, Turkey.

Neslişah was both the granddaughter of , who was the last Ottoman Emperor, and , who was the last Ottoman . Neslişah was also the wife of Egyptian , who was the head of Egypt’s regency for a short while before the revolution in which  and  removed the monarchy from power. This was the second monarchy removed by revolution and sent into exile that Neslişah had personally experienced.

When Neslişah was born on February 4, 1921, cannons were fired to spread the news and she was registered in the family records, the last child of the Ottoman line to be registered. She was born just two years before  founded modern Turkey. The  brought the  of the Ottoman dynasty. The Ottomans had ruled for 600 years. At the peak of the Empire, the family's rule stretched across the Middle East and North Africa, as well as to Eastern Europe. As a young girl, Neslişah left Turkey for exile with her relatives after the royal family was banished. 

In 1940, she married the Prince in Egypt. The Prince was head of the regency for under a year between 1952 and 1953. She was briefly under arrest with her husband, when he was accused of conspiring against Nasser, before they were sent into exile.

As an exile in France, she longed to be repatriated to her homeland and the city of Istanbul where she is now buried. She told a biographer, Murat Bardakçı, "My mother had friends who would go to Istanbul. I would ask them to bring me back a bit of soil from Istanbul, but none did." The Turkish government from 1952 allowed female royals to return and she returned there with her husband in 1957. In 2009, she became the senior member of Turkey’s former royal family after the death of a male relative.

Professor İlber Ortaylı, who manages the museum at the , said, "Many members of the Ottoman dynasty were laid to their final resting places with their memories; their lives went unrecorded. We can comprehend neither Ottoman history nor the Republic too well for this reason."

Neslişah was the last surviving member of her family to be born and registered during the Empire period. She is survived by her two children, one son and one daughter, and a grandson.