Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan: a love story. Princess Zahra Aga Khan is in Tajikistan on a working visit. The Tale of Tsar Saltan, his son, the glorious and mighty hero Prince Guidon Saltanovich, and the beautiful Princess Swan

Soraya went down in history as the woman who caused the king of Afghanistan to lose his throne. Although in reality, of course, the king’s opponents used Soraya as an excuse: she allegedly disgraced the country by removing her hijab in public and was leading women astray.

Soraya really actively “knocked down” women, moreover, with the full support of her husband. In her famous "You Afghan Women..." speech, the Queen said that women make up the majority of the population of Afghanistan and yet are completely overlooked. She encouraged them to learn to read and write and to participate in public life.

In 1921, Soraya created an organization to protect women and opened a school for girls near the royal palace itself. At the same time, the queen’s mother began to publish the first women’s magazine in Afghanistan, dedicated to very to a wide circle issues ranging from everyday life and raising children to politics. Within a couple of years, it was necessary to open a second women’s school - there were enough students, as well as hospitals for women and children. Soraya's husband, Padishah Amanullah, issued a decree obliging government officials to educate their daughters.

A woman of such progressive views grew up, of course, not in the most traditional family.

Soraya was the granddaughter of a famous Pashtun poet, the daughter of an equally famous Afghan writer, and her mother, Asma Rasiya, was a feminist by conviction. True, this did not stop her from blessing her daughter’s marriage at the age of fourteen: it was at that age that Soraya married Prince Amanullah. On the other hand, the prince might not have waited otherwise, and a husband-king was a wonderful chance to improve the situation of women in the country.


Contrary to all customs, Soraya became only wife Amanullah. When he ascended the throne, she was only twenty years old, and both spouses were full of strength, energy and, most importantly, desire to lead the country along the path of progress. But first he had to deal with foreign policy problems. Soraya accompanied her husband through the rebellious provinces that wanted to secede, risking her life; During the Revolutionary War, she visited hospitals to encourage wounded soldiers.

At the same time, the husband began to actively introduce Soraya into social and political life. For the first time in the history of Afghanistan, the queen was present at receptions and military parades, but, most importantly, ministerial meetings could no longer take place without her. Sometimes Amanullah joked that he, of course, was a king, but it would be more correct to say - a minister with his queen. He respected and adored the padishah’s wife immensely.

In 1928, he publicly removed his queen’s hijab and invited all women in the country to do the same.

It was this act that gave the opportunity to the clerical circles (and, as many believe, the British, who did not like the communication of the royal family with Soviet government) to incite the Afghan tribes to revolt. As a result, Amanullah was forced to abdicate the throne and leave the country with his family.

The route ran through India. Everywhere Amanullah got out of a train or car with his family, the royal family was greeted with thunderous applause and shouts: “Soraya! Soraya! The young queen managed to become a legend. There, in India, Soraya gave birth to one of her daughters and named her after this country. Rest of life former king and the queen spent in Italy.

Zahra Khanum Taj es-Saltan: with a crown of sorrow

Princess Zahra of the Qajar dynasty is the only nineteenth-century Iranian princess to have written memoirs (titled Crown of Sorrow: Memoirs of a Persian Princess). Her father was the same Nasreddin Shah, who unrestrainedly photographed the inhabitants of his palace, her mother was a woman named Turan es-Saltan. Zahra was taken away from her mother early and given to nannies. She saw her mother twice a day; if her father was in Tehran, she also visited him briefly once.

For his time, the Shah was a progressive person and tried to see his children. But, of course, such attention was not enough for the children.

From seven to nine years old, Zahra studied at the royal school, but after the engagement it became indecent, and the girl continued her studies in the palace, with mentors. Yes, her father arranged her engagement at the age of nine, and just six months later he signed a marriage contract for her. The groom-husband was eleven, he was the son of a military leader, whose alliance was important to the Shah. Fortunately, the parents did not insist that the children begin married life immediately. Both Zahra and her little husband lived almost the same as before their marriage.

When Zahra was thirteen, her father was killed, and her husband took her into his home and consummated her marriage. The princess was very disappointed with her marriage. The teenage husband took on endless mistresses and paramours, and his wife barely had time for even just conversations at the dinner table. the princess did not feel either his love or her own, and decided that she did not owe him anything. Moreover, she was considered a beauty and many men dreamed of her love.

It is known that the famous Iranian poet Aref Qazvini dedicated his poem to the beauty of Zahra.

From her husband, Zahra gave birth to four children - two daughters and two sons. One of the boys died in infancy. When Zahra was pregnant for the fifth time, she learned that her husband had a sexually transmitted disease, which could seriously affect the development of the fetus. She decided to have an abortion - at that time a very dangerous procedure, both physically and due to the possible consequences. After the abortion, she felt so sick that the doctors decided that she had hysteria and ordered her to leave the house for walks more often. It was on these walks that it is believed that she began to have affairs. At the same time, Zahra sought a divorce from her unloved husband.

After the divorce, she was married twice more, but unsuccessfully. Men in Iran at that time were little different from each other: they could court each other flowerily, but, having got a woman, they simply began to court another. Considering that Zahra also pointedly refused to wear a hijab, her reputation in Iranian high society was terrible.

Behind her back (and sometimes to her face) she was called a whore.

Disillusioned with trying to disappear into family life, Zahra began to participate in social life. During the Constitutional Revolution in Iran, she joined, along with some other princesses, the Women's Association, whose goals included universal female education and normal access to medicine. Alas, she eventually died in poverty and obscurity, and no one can even name the exact place of her death.

Farrukhru Parsa: who fed her murderers

One of Iran's first female doctors and the country's first and last female minister, Parsa was executed by firing squad after the Islamic Revolution. Ironically, the leaders of the revolution received their education at universities opened in Iran by Parsa, and studied at the expense of her department. Whether they realized it or not, there was not an iota of gratitude in their actions.

Farrukhru's mother, Fakhre-Afag, was the editor of the first women's magazine in Iran and fought for women's right to education. She was punished for her activity: she was exiled together with her husband, Farrukhdin Parsa, to the city of Qom under house arrest. There, in exile, the future minister was born. She was named after her father.

After the change of prime minister, the Pars family was allowed to return to Tehran, and Farrukhr was able to receive a normal education. She trained to be a doctor, but worked as a biology teacher at the Joan of Arc school (for girls, of course). Farrukhru actively continued her mother’s work and became a well-known person in Iran. At less than forty years old, she was elected to parliament.


Her husband, Ahmad Shirin Sohan, was as surprised as he was proud.

As a member of parliament, she achieved voting rights for women, and soon, becoming Minister of Education, she had the opportunity to build up the country with schools and universities, giving girls and boys from poor families the opportunity to study. The Parsi Ministry also subsidized theological schools.

Thanks to the activity of Pars and other feminists, the country had a law “On the Protection of the Family,” which regulated the divorce procedure and raised the marriageable age to eighteen years. Following Farrukhru, many women decided to pursue a career as an official. After the revolution, the age of consent dropped back to thirteen, and the age criminal liability for girls - up to nine (for boys it starts at fourteen).


Before her execution, the deposed minister wrote a letter to the children with the words: “I am a doctor, so I am not afraid of death. Death is just a moment and nothing more. I would rather face death with open arms than live in shame, being forcibly covered with a veil "I will not bend the knee to those who expect me to feel remorse for my half-century of struggle for gender equality."

Another one sad story women of the East:

Last time we talked about the three main favorites of the Shah, in this issue we will continue to get acquainted with the family of the ruler of Iran. Nasser ad-Din Shah had more than a dozen daughters, I’ll tell you about the lives of four princesses.

Princess Esmat al-Daula


Her mother was also of royal blood, Esmat had a strong and independent character, she became the first Iranian woman to learn to play the piano. She loved literature and tried herself in this field.



Very young Esmat (left) next to her older sister and father (find the Shah)


Esmat in his youth

Esmat often wore European-style clothes. Look, Esmat in a white dress is leaning on the balustrade, you can see a gazebo in the distance, and a dog is nestled at her feet - just an example of European painting.


Princess Esmat al-Daula

Esmat had two sons and two daughters.


Esmat with his mother* and little daughter Fakhr al-Taj (granddaughter of the Shah)



Esmat al-Daula with his daughter (granddaughter of the Shah) Fakhr al-Taj



Esmat studies literature



Princess Esmat al-Daula

She died of malaria in 1905


Mourning for Esmat

Turan Agha Fakhr al-Daula and Tuman Agha Forugh al-Daula - daughters of the Shah

The youngest of the princesses (they were sisters, from the same mother**), Fakhr (1862 - 1892), was interested in art, read a lot, wrote poetry and wrote down for us the favorite story of her father, Amir Arsalan, which was told to the Shah before bed. Fakhr adored the Shah and often accompanied him on trips around the country, and while separated, she maintained constant correspondence with her father.


Turan Agha Fakhr (left) and Tuman Agha Forugh (right)

Turan Agha Fakhr died quite young from tuberculosis. Contemporaries noted the exquisite and sophisticated beauty of the Shah's daughter.


Turan Agha Fakhr

The eldest, Forugh (1850-1937), also wrote poetry, she gave birth to three sons and four daughters. At the beginning of the 20th century, she became actively interested in politics and participated in constitutional activities.


Forugh al-Daula



Laila Khanum (Shah's wife, left), Fakhr al-Daula (left) and Forugh al-Daula (center)
(Laila Khanum is not the mother of the sisters; their mother** had already died by that time)



Forugh al-Daula (center) dressed as a dervish


funny moment - one of the Shah's daughters and his grandson



Anis al-Daula (first from left in the bottom row), Forugh (third from left in the bottom row) hugs one of the Shah's wives Laila Khanum, Fakhr (third from left in the second row)

Taj al-Saltan or Zahra Khan Taj es-Saltan (1884 – 25 January 1936)
- the most famous daughter of Nasser ad-Din Shah from his wife Turan es-Saltan.


Zahra Khanom Taj es-Saltan

Taj es-Saltaneh is a beauty, a feminist, a writer, who left memories of life at the court of her father and after his murder.
The memoirs have come down to us in an incomplete copy, and this is the only evidence of its kind authored by a woman from the royal family of Iran at that time.

Taj's early childhood memories are full of bitterness. She was raised by nannies, governesses and tutors, and was separated from her mother, whom she saw only twice a day. If the father was in Tehran, then once a day, usually around noon, she would a short time brought to see him. In his memoirs, Taj mentions the need for close contact with the mother and the benefits of breastfeeding.

At the age of seven, a girl receives elementary education at the royal school, but in 1893 she was forced to leave school and study with private tutors, some of whom she mentions in detail in her book. The style and content of the memoirs reveal her familiarity with Persian and European literature and history. She was also taught to play the piano and tar, painting and the art of embroidery.


Zahra Khanom Taj es-Saltan as a child

When Taj turned eight, negotiations began about her marriage. In early 1893, at the age of nine, Taj es-Saltaneh was betrothed to Amir Hussein Khan Shoja al-Saltaneh, and a wedding contract was signed in December of that year. The groom was also still a child, “probably eleven or twelve years old.” But the marriage was not consummated; the couple celebrated their wedding only in 1897, a year after the assassination of Nasser ad-Din Shah, when Taj was thirteen years old.


Unknown artist, Zahra Khanom Taj es-Saltan in European dress

All marriages of women from the royal family were concluded for reasons of profit, there was no talk of love. However, Taj was looking forward to marriage, hoping to gain relative independence married woman. After the murder of her father, all the royal wives and children were transported to one of the Sarvestan residences, where Taj es-Saltana felt almost like a prisoner.

Taj advocates for love marriage, criticizing contractual unions in which well-being is completely disregarded married couple. In the first years of their married life, she and her husband were teenagers, still playing children's games, and young wife was offended by her husband’s neglect, which began almost immediately after the wedding night. Like most men from noble Qajar families, Hussein Khan had many lovers, both male and female; and Taj justifies his own flirtations and affairs as revenge for his spouse's neglect and infidelity. Aref Qazvini, Iranian poet, composer and musician, is the most famous of the men mentioned in the memoirs. He dedicated his famous poem "Ey Taj" to the beautiful daughter of the Shah.

Taj gave birth to four children - two sons and two daughters, but one boy died in infancy.


Zahra Khanom Taj es-Saltan with children

Taj also mentions a dangerous abortion undertaken after she learned of her husband's venereal disease. Ironically, the physical and emotional consequences of the abortion were considered manifestations of hysteria, a diagnosis that gave her freedom to leave her home: “The doctors ordered me to go outside to unwind... due to my illness, I was given some relief from the usual confinement at home.”

She spoke about the interest of her contemporaries in Europe and wrote in her memoirs: “I desperately wanted to go to Europe.” But, unlike his older sister Akhtar, she never managed to visit there. While writing her memoirs in 1914, she attempted suicide three times.


Taj es-Saltan

The troubled first marriage ultimately ended in divorce in December 1907. Taj does not discuss any subsequent marriages in his memoirs, but as mentioned, the manuscript is incomplete. Her free communication with men and her romantic (or even sexual) relationships with them gave her the reputation of a “free woman” (she was considered a prostitute).



Taj es-Saltan

In March 1908, Taj remarried, the marriage lasted only a few months, and divorce followed in July 1908. In more later years Taj es-Saltaneh became actively involved in constitutional and feminist activities. Along with some other women of the royal family of Iran, she was a member of the Women's Association during the Constitutional Revolution in Persia 1905-1911. and fought for women's rights.

In 1909 she marries for the third time; it is unknown how this marriage ended, but in 1921 Taj describes herself as a single, unmarried woman.

Memories depict a deeply unhappy life, and a series of letters written by Taj to various premiers in the early 1920s in order to restore her pension testify to her experiences financial difficulties.


Taj es-Saltan

In 1922, Taj accompanied one of her daughters to Baghdad, where her son-in-law, an official in the Foreign Office, was posted. She died in obscurity, probably in Tehran in 1936.

to be continued

* - Princess Khojasteh Khanom Qajar "Tadj al-Dowla," aghdi
** - Khazen al-Dowla, sigheh

Sources:

Women in Iran from 1800 to the Islamic Republic, Lois Beck, Guity Nashat, University of Illinois Press, 2004

Liminalities of Gender and Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Iranian Photography: Desirous Bodies by Staci Gem Scheiwiller, Routledge, 2016

Sexual Politics in Modern Iran by Janet Afary, Cambridge University Press, 2009

Veils and Words: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers, Farzaneh Milani, I.B.Tauris, 1992

Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831-1896, Abbas Amanat, I.B.Tauris, 1997

The Encyclopædia Iranica

Recently, incredible “beauty” has amazed the Internet. Photos of an Iranian princess named Anis al Dolyah have appeared on the Internet. It is known that the fourth Shah of Iran, Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar, photographed his wives with their faces open, and thanks to this, information about the beauty of that time has reached our days.

IN Lately By social networks Many photographs of Iranian princesses have circulated, accompanied by explanatory text saying that this is a symbol of the beauty of Iran of those years.
And many probably believed in the very specific tastes of the Iranian ruler Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar, because these princesses were assigned to his harem.
But did oriental beauties really look like this?


What is known about the biography of the princess
Anis al-Dolyah was the beloved wife of the fourth Shah of Iran, Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, who reigned from 1848 to 1896. Nasser had a huge harem of wives, whom he, contrary to the laws of Iran at that time, photographed with their faces open. It was thanks to Nasser ad-Din’s passion for photography and his easy attitude towards strict rules modern world I learned about what the ideals of beauty were in Western Asia in the 19th century.


Anis al-Dolyah was considered the most beautiful and sexy woman that era. The corpulent lady with fused eyebrows, a thick mustache and a tired, sullen look had almost 150 admirers. However, Anis belonged only to the Shah. For admirers unearthly beauty al-Dolyah could only dream about her, comandir.com learned. Some men, by the way, could not come to terms with their evil fate and committed suicide because unrequited love that tormented their hearts.
In 19th-century Iran, a woman was considered beautiful if she had a lot of facial hair and was very fat. The girls from the harem were specially fed a lot and were practically not allowed to move so that they would gain weight. Anis al-Dolyah met all the standards of attractiveness of that time.


Interesting fact. Once Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar, during a visit to St. Petersburg, visited the Russian ballet. The Shah was so impressed by the ballerinas that upon his arrival home, he ordered skirts resembling tutus to be sewn for all his many wives. Since then, Nasser’s spouses wore only short fluffy skirts, revealing their husband’s appetizing pleated legs around the clock.


What's the catch?
Why are these women so different from the concept of beauty of that time that we could read about and even see in films?
In fact, these are not Iranian princesses, not the wives of the Shah and... not women at all! These photographs depict the actors of the first state theater, created by Shah Nasruddin, who was a great admirer European culture. This troupe played satirical plays only for courtiers and nobility. The organizer of this theater was Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, who is considered one of the founders of modern Iranian theater.


In the plays of that time only men acted, since until 1917 Iranian women was forbidden to perform on stage. That’s the whole secret of the “Iranian princesses”: yes, this is the Shah’s harem, but in a theatrical production.


Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for that
that you are discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us on Facebook And In contact with

At all times, the earth has been filled with all kinds of myths, and with the advent of the Internet in our lives, true and not so true stories instantly become known to the general public. You've probably already heard about the "incomparable Anis al-Dolyah", because of whom 13 young people took their own lives, and you've even seen her photo. What can you say about Melania Trump’s grandmother: are they similar to her supposed granddaughter or not?

website did some research and found out what's really behind some popular internet stories.

Myth #16: The Iranian Qajar princess was a symbol of beauty in the early 20th century. 13 young men committed suicide because she did not agree to become their wife

You've probably seen a photo of "Princess Qajar" or "Anis al-Dolyah" with such a caption. This woman doesn't fit in well modern standards beauty even in Iran itself, but some people believe that more than 100 years ago things were completely different.

There is some truth in this, but it is worth asking another question: did such a princess really exist? Yes and no. The woman in the tutu-like outfit was named Taj al-Dola, and she was the wife of Nasser al-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty.

There is an opinion that the photo does not real wife Shah, and the man is an actor, but this is probably nothing more than speculation, because Taj was a real historical figure.

And here is another “Qajar princess” (on the left), a photo of which you could also see with the same text about the symbol of beauty and 13 unfortunate young people. This lady was the daughter of Taj al-Dola and her name was Ismat al-Dola.

Of course, both mother and daughter were not fatal beauties who broke the hearts of numerous fans. If only because they lived in a Muslim country and hardly had the opportunity to communicate with strangers, much less choose a husband.

As for the woman on the right, her name was also Taj and she was Ismat al-Dol’s sister on her father’s side - he, like many eastern rulers, had more than one wife. Taj al-Saltaneh, also known as Zahra Khanum, went down in history as an artist, writer and the first feminist in Iran who was not afraid to take off her hijab, wear European clothes and divorce her husband.

Myth #15: Nikola Tesla worked as a swimming instructor

— Prof Jeff Cunningham (@cunninghamjeff) August 29, 2017

And this is what a real giant hornet looks like. The true size of the “tiger bee” is also impressive, but fortunately it is not as huge as its model, which we are incredibly happy about.

Myth #12: The whale that died from eating garbage

A photo that many took for image of a dead person whale with a lot of garbage in its stomach, is actually an installation created by Greenpeace Philippines to raise awareness about ocean pollution. But, unfortunately, this happens in reality, and not only whales suffer, and not only in the Pacific region, so we have something to think about.

Myth No. 11: “Ancient Astronaut” on the wall of the New Cathedral in Salamanca (Spain)

Where did the astronaut come from on the wall of the cathedral, built in the 16th century? It's simple: during the restoration in 1992, the artist Jeronimo Garcia decided to depict something unusual and carved a figurine in a spacesuit, and in addition to it, a faun holding an ice cream cone in his paw.

Myth No. 10: Description of a photograph of a wolf pack

This photo also “went to the people” with a description taken from someone’s head and not corresponding to reality. Allegedly, the first three wolves in the pack are the oldest and weakest, the five following them are the strongest, in the middle is the rest of the pack, another five strong animals close the group, and behind them all is the leader who controls the situation.

However, the author of the photo, Chadden Hunter, explains that the pack hunts bison in this way, and in front is not the three weakest animals, but the alpha female.

Myth No. 9: A she-wolf protects the male's throat in a fight.

You have probably seen this photo more than once with a touching caption that the she-wolf is “hiding”, pretending to be scared, while at the same time she protects the male’s throat, knowing that she will not be touched in a fight. Alas, this too is nothing more than a beautiful fairy tale.

A fairly popular photograph “without Photoshop” turned out to be the result of merging two different photographs. The sky was borrowed from the Dutch photographer Marieke Mandemaker and superimposed on the photo Crimean Bridge in Moscow.

Myth No. 7: "Heaven's Gate" photographed by the Hubble telescope

The “unusual photo that amazed scientists” turned out to be the work of graphic designer Adam Ferriss, which, however, was based on a real photo of the Omega Nebula (aka the Swan Nebula).

This is what the original photo looks like. By the way, this nebula can be observed in an amateur telescope - its shape resembles a ghostly swan floating across the sky.

Myth No. 6: In China they fake... cabbage

It seems that we have already become accustomed to the idea that in our time absolutely everything can be faked. And in fact, cabbage made from some liquid substance is very similar to the real thing. Is it really being sold to unsuspecting buyers? Not at all.

This “fake” cabbage, as well as other “products”, serves only as a dummy in food service outlets in China, Korea, Japan and some other countries.

Myth #5: There was no hotel room for Arnold Schwarzenegger, so he had to sleep on the street next to his own statue.

Before “Iron Arnie” had time to make a joke on his Instagram, sharing this photo with the meaningful caption “How times have changed,” it was immediately posted on another resource, where they made up a whole story about how the actor and former governor of California was not allowed into the hotel and he had to sleep right on the ground.

Of course, Schwarzenegger didn't spend the night on the street. And the photo was taken not near the hotel, but near the city convention center, opposite the entrance to which there is a statue depicting young Arnold in his best form.

Photos of the Iranian princess, wife of Shah Nasser Qajar, continue to excite impressionable and naive Internet users. Hundreds, if not thousands of articles are devoted to her, discussing the tastes and preferences of the Shah, who lived almost two hundred years ago.

Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar

The Shah of Iran, who ruled the country for 47 years, was the most educated man in Iran, knew several languages, loved geography, drawing, poetry, and authored books about his travels. At the age of seventeen he inherited the throne, but was able to take power only with the help of weapons. He was an extraordinary person who managed to carry out small, from the point of view of our time, but significant for his time reforms in the country.

As a literate person, he understood that only an educated and developed Iran could exist in this world on an equal basis with other countries. He was a fan of European culture, but realized that the religious fanaticism that was rampant in the country would not allow his dreams to come true.

Nevertheless, a lot was done during his lifetime. The telegraph appeared in Iran, schools began to open, army reform was carried out, French school, the prototype of the future university, where they studied medicine, chemistry, and geography.

Nasser Qajar Theater

Nasser Qajar knew perfectly French, was familiar with French culture, particularly the theater, but he was first and foremost the Shah of Iran, a Muslim. Therefore, his dream of a full-fledged theater could not come true. But he, together with Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, created a state theater, the troupe of which consisted of men. In the photographs of the actors you can see the famous “Iranian princess Anis al Dolyah.” Yes, this is a princess, but not a real one, but performed by a male actor.

The Iranian theater did not perform productions from the life of the people. His satirical repertoire consisted entirely of plays describing the court and social life. All roles here were played by men. This is not an isolated case. Remember kabuki, where only men play. True, they played in masks, and it was hardly possible to see their fused eyebrows and mustaches. By the way, thick, fused eyebrows among residents of Arab and Central Asian countries have always been considered a sign of beauty, both among women and men.

Founder of Iranian theater

The head of the first state theater was a famous person in Iran, Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, who is considered the founder of the Iranian theater. All roles were played by men; only after 1917 were women allowed to be actresses and participate in performances.

Old photos

Nasser ad-Din was fond of photography from his youth. He had his own laboratory where he printed photographs with his own hands. He took photographs himself, he had a French photographer who took pictures of him. At the end of the sixties of the 19th century, the Sevryugin brothers opened their studio in Tehran, one of them - Anton - became a court photographer.

The Shah filmed everything, Sevryugin helped him with this. He kept photographs of his wives, intimates, theater artists, his trips, ceremonial meetings, and military operations in the palace safe. After the Iranian revolution, all his archives were declassified, and the photographs fell into the hands of journalists. It is now difficult to say who is shown in these photographs. You shouldn't rely on the Internet. Captions for the same photos on different sites differ radically. Their reliability is highly doubtful.

On one German website, there was an interesting comment on an article about Nasser ad-Din, sent by a resident of Iran. He writes that the khan did not like women, therefore, in order to look like men and thereby please the shah, they painted on mustaches. It is difficult to say how true this is, but this partly explains the clearly male faces in women's clothing and the fact that an outside man (photographer) is photographing the khan in a circle

Who is Iranian Princess Anis

Anis al Dolyah is most likely the name of the heroine of a play that was performed with one acting characters for various situations (cases from life). Something like modern TV series. Each actor played the same role for many years.

Shah Nasser Qajar had an official wife, Munira Al-Khan, who bore him children, including his heir Mozafereddin Shah. She was from a noble and influential family with considerable power. There is no doubt that the Shah had a harem. But it is now impossible to say for sure who lived in his harem.

Photos of the Shah's concubines

Photos of the Iranian princess al Dolyah and the Shah's concubines posted on the Internet are most likely photographs of theater artists or excerpts from plays. Coming to any theater, we see in its foyer the composition of the troupe in photographs, where we can often see the actors in makeup, that is, excerpts from their roles.

Let's not forget that the Shah was a supporter of everything European, but remained a Muslim dictator who did not tolerate any dissent. Deviation from the norms of the Koran (in in this case photographing women with their faces uncovered) would have alienated thousands of his loyal subjects. His enemies, of whom he had plenty, would not fail to take advantage of this. Attempts were made on his life more than once.

The Shah visited many European countries, including Russia. He was delighted with Russian ballet. He couldn’t stage something like that in his country, so he creates a play about it, dressing the Iranian princess Anis (photo below) and other supposedly women in ballet tutus. By the way, the Shah wrote books about his travels, which were published in Europe and Russia. Perhaps he also wrote plays for his theater.

What does the name Anis mean?

Why does the Iranian princess have this? strange name It is no coincidence that it was under Shah Nasser ad-Din that two religious rebels who dared to admit that the Koran had become obsolete were shot. This is the founder new religion, called Babism, Baba Seyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi, as well as his ardent follower and assistant Mirza Muhammad Ali Zunuzi (Anis). There is a legend that during the execution by a detachment of 750 Christians, Baba in a strange way ended up in his cell, and Anis was not touched by the bullets.

It is the name Anis that the satirical Iranian princess bears. Each time it caused laughter and mockery. Dressing your opponent in women's clothing, which in itself is a shame for a Muslim, the Shah took revenge on those who went against the Koran. We do not know the names of the other “inhabitants” of the Shah’s harem, maybe they can also tell a lot. Of course, these are only assumptions; we will never know what really happened.

Share with friends:
Related publications