Women have shaped Aligarh Muslim University from its first years. Waheed Jahan Begum, known as Ala Bi, co-founded the girls’ school in October 1906 that grew into the AMU Women’s College, and Sultan Jahan, the Begum of Bhopal, became the university’s first Chancellor in 1920. In April 2024, Prof. Naima Khatoon became the first woman Vice-Chancellor. Between them came writers, doctors, ministers and scholars who studied or taught at Aligarh.
Women of AMU at a glance
| Name | Known for | Key year |
|---|---|---|
| Waheed Jahan Begum (Ala Bi) | Co-founded the girls’ school | 1906 |
| Sultan Jahan, Begum of Bhopal | First Chancellor of AMU | 1920 |
| Rashid Jahan | Doctor, co-author of Angarey | 1932 |
| Mumtaz Jahan Haider | Principal, Women’s College | 1940 |
| Begum Khurshid Mirza | Actor, Bombay Talkies | 1937 |
| Ismat Chughtai | Urdu writer | 1942 |
| Abida Ahmed | First Lady of India | 1974 |
| Mohsina Kidwai | Union Cabinet Minister | 1984 |
| Sajida Zaidi | Poet, professor of education | 1955 |
| Zahida Zaidi | Poet, professor of English | 1971 |
| Prof. Naima Khatoon | First woman Vice-Chancellor | 2024 |
1. Waheed Jahan Begum (Ala Bi)
Waheed Jahan Begum and her husband, Sheikh Abdullah, opened Aligarh’s first girls’ school in October 1906 as a small madrasa with five students. It grew into the AMU Women’s College. She lived from 1884 to 1939.
2. Sultan Jahan, Begum of Bhopal
The ruler of Bhopal from 1901 to 1926 became AMU’s founding Chancellor in December 1920 and held the post until 1930. She is still the only woman to have been Chancellor. See the full list of AMU Vice-Chancellors and Chancellors.
Also readList of AMU Vice-Chancellors and Chancellors (1920 to 2026)
3. Rashid Jahan
Born in Aligarh in 1905, Rashid Jahan studied at the Muslim girls’ school founded by her parents, Ala Bi and Sheikh Abdullah. She qualified as a doctor from Lady Hardinge in 1929, co-wrote the short story collection Angarey (1932), which was banned in 1933, and helped found the Progressive Writers’ Association in 1936.
4. Mumtaz Jahan Haider
Another daughter of Ala Bi and Sheikh Abdullah, Mumtaz Jahan Haider was appointed Principal of the Women’s College in 1940 and led it for about 30 years. Her daughter, AMU alumna Shahla Haider, died in October 2026. Read our report on Shahla Haider.
5. Begum Khurshid Mirza
Born in Aligarh in 1918 as a daughter of Ala Bi, she studied at AMU. Under the screen name Renuka Devi she made her film debut in Jeevan Prabhat (1937) for Bombay Talkies. After Partition she acted on Pakistan Television and won its Best Actress award for Afshan in 1982.
6. Ismat Chughtai
Ismat Chughtai went to the AMU Women’s College as a girl and returned for her BEd in 1941. Her story Lihaaf (1942) led to an obscenity trial in Lahore in 1945, where she was cleared. She received the Padma Shri in 1976.
7. Abida Ahmed
Abida Ahmed studied at the Women’s College and at AMU. She married Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and was First Lady of India while he was President, from 1974 to 1977.
8. Mohsina Kidwai
Mohsina Kidwai did her Intermediate at the AMU Women’s College. A senior Congress leader, she was Union Cabinet Minister for Health and Family Welfare from 1984 to 1986 and for Urban Development from 1986 to 1989.
9. Sajida Zaidi
Sajida Zaidi joined AMU as a lecturer in 1955 and became professor and head of the Department of Education. She was also an Urdu poet, with collections such as Ju-e-Naghma (1962), and received the Bahadur Shah Zafar Award in 2008.
10. Zahida Zaidi
Zahida Zaidi took her BA and MA in English at AMU and taught at the Women’s College from 1952. She became Professor of English in 1983. A poet in Urdu and English, she translated Chekhov, Sartre and Beckett into Urdu and won the Urdu Academy Award in 1971.
11. Prof. Naima Khatoon
Prof. Naima Khatoon did her PhD in psychology at AMU, joined the department in 1988 and was Principal of the Women’s College from 2014. She took charge as Vice-Chancellor in April 2024, the first woman to head AMU in more than 100 years. The Supreme Court declined to interfere with her appointment in September 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the first woman Vice-Chancellor of AMU?
Prof. Naima Khatoon became the first woman Vice-Chancellor of AMU in April 2024. She was earlier Principal of the AMU Women’s College.
Who founded the AMU Women’s College?
Sheikh Abdullah and his wife Waheed Jahan Begum (Ala Bi) opened a girls’ school in Aligarh in October 1906. It grew into the AMU Women’s College.
Who was the first Chancellor of AMU?
Sultan Jahan, the Begum of Bhopal, was AMU’s first Chancellor, from 1920 to 1930. She remains the only woman to have held the post.
Which women writers studied at AMU?
Ismat Chughtai, Zahida Zaidi and Sajida Zaidi studied or taught at AMU. Rashid Jahan studied at the Aligarh girls’ school that became the Women’s College.
For more on the people of Aligarh, see our lists of famous AMU alumni and Urdu poets and writers from AMU.
Sources: Wikipedia biographies of Waheed Jahan Begum, Rashid Jahan, Begum Khurshid Mirza, Ismat Chughtai, Abida Ahmed, Zahida Zaidi and Sajida Zaidi; Feminism in India on Mumtaz Jahan Haider; Careers360 and Deccan Herald on Prof. Naima Khatoon.
