SAEDNEWS: Aside from the multitude of clowns, Naser al-Din Shah also had 37 short-statured men. Among them was a man named Khwaja Fandqi, who was 88 centimeters tall and wished to marry. The Shah, laughing, would say, “You rascal, how could your wife possibly be that tiny?”
According to Saed News’ social affairs analysis, citing Tarafdari, one day in the Firouzeh Palace, the Shah’s eyes fell on a 90-centimeter-tall girl named Bibi Naqli, and he immediately ordered her to be brought to him. The palace attendant carried the girl like a doll and, ignoring her pleas and tears, placed her before the Shah. Bibi Naqli, whose veil had fallen, frantically searched for it, prompting laughter from the Shah and those around him. The Shah then told Khwaja Fandoghi: “It is our will that you marry Bibi Naqli. We order a house to be built for you, furnished appropriately for your respective sizes.”
Every day, courtiers, the Shah, and members of the harem visited them and the doll-sized house for amusement, without considering that this seemingly playful arrangement could lead to disaster. Eventually, the news reached the French doctor Toulouzan, who went to the lecherous Shah and warned:
“Your Majesty, you must not marry these two! Both are healthy, but Bibi Naqli will undoubtedly become pregnant. Her small pelvis will prevent childbirth, and she will die.”
The Shah, irritated and dismissive, replied:
“Do mice not give birth? What about rabbits?”
The doctor, astonished by the Shah’s ignorance, responded:
“Mice and rabbits can reproduce, but lions and leopards cannot. A child born to these two humans would be of a normal size.”
The Shah insisted:
“A child born of these two will be a dwarf! This is our royal will.”
When the house was ready, the bride and groom were placed on small horses and a lavish celebration was held. Amid the Shah’s laughter, they were carried, like dolls, into their bridal chamber.
Eventually, Bibi Naqli became pregnant, her belly growing so large it dragged on the ground, leaving her unable to walk. The unfortunate Khwaja Fandoghi, devoted and in love with his wife, had to support her to attend to her needs. One night, he cried out in the palace courtyard, begging for help: “Save me! Bibi Naqli is suffocating!”
The alarm reached the powerful Shah, who sent for Doctor Toulouzan, but by the time the doctor arrived, the mother’s heart had stopped from the strain of the pregnancy.
After Bibi Naqli’s death, Khwaja Fandoghi wore black in mourning and never laughed again. A year later, on a cold winter night, his blackened corpse was found beside his wife’s grave. It seems he had visited the cemetery every night to keep them company, until he too passed from the doll-sized house to his eternal home.
Source: Behind the Harem Curtains, Professor Hassan Azad, pages 460–466; summary from Zan-e Rooz magazine, Issue 673.
