SAEDNEWS: The photos you’ll see here, according to the old captions, depict the favorite concubines and women of Ahmad Shah Qajar’s court, as well as his brother, Crown Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza.
Ahmad Shah Qajar, His Brother, and the Secret Lives of the Royal Court
According to SaedNews’ social affairs report, Ahmad Shah was the last king of the Qajar dynasty. He ascended the throne in 1909 at the age of 12 and was deposed in 1925 by a vote of the National Consultative Assembly. Because Ahmad Shah had no children when he became king, his younger brother Mohammad Hassan Mirza was named crown prince. During Ahmad Shah’s reign, Mohammad Hassan Mirza governed Azerbaijan for a period and resided in Tabriz, returning to Tehran after Sheikh Mohammad Khiabani’s uprising. Ahmad Shah left Iran for France in 1923, two years before his official abdication, while Mohammad Hassan Mirza stayed in Iran until 1925, after which he was exiled to Europe following the transfer of power to Reza Khan.
Ahmad Shah and his brother each married five times. Yet, in addition to these official wives, there were numerous concubines and temporary wives within the Qajar court. Taj al-Molouk Ayermloo, in her memoirs, recounts visiting the inner palace of Golestan and observing the remaining women of the Qajar dynasty:
“Mohammad Hassan Mirza had divorced his official wife and currently had no legal wife. But when we entered the inner court, we saw more than 18 temporary wives, the eldest being 14 years old from the Imameh neighborhood of northern Tehran. Some of Ahmad Shah’s women were also present… They hurried from room to room, opening chests and taking whatever they could.”
In the photo album of Nosrat-od-Dowleh Firouz, a politically influential figure during the Qajar era, there are images of women identified as concubines of Ahmad Shah and Mohammad Hassan Mirza
“Favorite of Sultan Ahmad Shah Qajar”
“Masoumeh Dastpa Gondeh”; “Ms. Masoumeh, favorite of Sultan Ahmad Shah”
“Negar Khanum [one of the court’s favorites]”
(Another version of this photo in Firouz’s album reads: “Negar Khanum, dancer of the Crown Prince”)
“Negar Khanum” – labeled as a favorite
“A Jewish girl spotted by Mohammad Hassan Mirza during a stroll in Tabriz, brought to his harem as a caretaker by Moqaddar-ol-Saltaneh. Locals in Tabriz protested, closing the bazaar until the girl was secretly hidden in a servant’s home; the bazaar reopened once the girl was safe.”
“Marzieh Khanum; one of the Crown Prince’s admirers”
“An Armenian girl known as ‘Airi Balon’ (meaning ‘airplane’); the Crown Prince tied his sword around her waist during a stage performance at the Armenian theatre.”
“Dancer in Mohammad Hassan Mirza’s harem in Tabriz, who spent days and nights in pleasure, unaware of national events. One day she was informed that Reza Khan had become Shah; she was immediately expelled from Iran.”
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