Leyla Achba

Leyla Gülefşan Achba (10 August 1898 – 6 November 1931) was an Abkhazian princess. She was a lady-in-waiting to Nazikeda Kadın, wife of Mehmed VI, the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. She is known for writing memoirs, which give details of the sultan's court life and was the first Ottoman court lady to write memoirs.

Leyla Achba was born on 10 August 1898 in Achba Mansion, Horhor, Istanbul. She was a member of the Abkhazian princely family, Anchabadze, which had emigrated to Istanbul during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78).^[1] Her father was Prince Mehmed Refik Bey Achba, and her mother was Princess Mahşeref Hanım Emkhaa,^[2] daughter of Prince Osman Bey Emukhvari and Princess Hesna Hanım Çaabalurhva.^[3]

She had three elder siblings, two brothers, Ahmed Bey, and Rifat Kemaleddin Bey, and a sister, Emine Nurbanu Hanım, and a younger sister, Feride Hanım.^[4] She was a paternal great-grandniece of Verdicenan Kadın, a wife of Sultan Abdulmejid I.^[5] She was also a maternal niece of Peyveste Hanım,^[6] and a paternal cousin of Fatma Pesend Hanım, both wives of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.^[7] Her paternal grandmother Ayşe Kemalifer Dziapş-Ipa was the sister of Dürrünev Kadın who was the Senior Consort of Sultan Abdulaziz. Her sister, Nurbanu renamed Hidayet Hanım married Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin, son of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Her cousin Nazikeda Kadın was the wife of Sultan Mehmed VI and another cousin Iryale Hanım was a consort of Şehzade Mehmed Selim, son of Sultan Abdülhamid II.^[8] Her cousin Princess Mihri Müşfik Hanım was the first female artist in Turkey.^[1]

Leyla was educated privately. She could speak French and English fluently, and had a penchant for music.^[1]

In 1916, she was engaged to Prince Hüseyin Inalipa. The marriage was supposed to take place two years later on 23 July 1918. However, the marriage didn't take place because of Hüseyin's death twenty days earlier.^[9]

1919年、彼女は親族数名とともに宮廷に仕えるようになった。 ^{[ 10 ]}ここで、オスマン帝国の宮廷の慣習に従って、彼女の名前はギュレフシャンに変更された。その後、彼女はナジケダ・カドゥンの5番目の女官となった。 ^{[ 11 ]}彼女は、1924年にナジケダとスルタンの家族が追放されるまで、ナジケダに仕えた。^{[ 1 ]}

トルコ共和国建国後、彼女はシヴァスに住む叔母のもとに移り住み、1931年11月6日に結核で亡くなった。彼女はユカリ・テッケに埋葬された。^{[ 1 ]}

彼女は死の直前に回想録を書き、そこにはスルタンの宮廷生活の詳細が記されている。^{[ 12 ]}アチバ王女は回想録を書いた最初のオスマン帝国の宮廷女性だった。彼女は回想録を清算の記録、つまり勝利した共和国から家族が受けた過酷な扱いを明らかにする記録として書いた。^{[ 13 ]}

• ルメイサ・アレドバ
• Şahinde Hanım

• アカバ、レイラ（2010年5月1日）。ビル・チェルケス・プレンセシニン・ハーレム・ハトゥラトゥ。ティマシュ・ヤインラル。ISBN 978-605-114-225-8。

• アカバ、レイラ (2004)。ビル・チェルケス・プレンセシニン・ハーレム・ハティララリ。 L& M.ISBN 978-9-756-49131-7。
• ルメイサ・アレドバ:スルタン・ヴァフデッディーニン・サン・レモ・ギュンレリ、イスタンブール 2009