SAEDNEWS: In a section of Tajerat-ol-Saltaneh’s memoirs, we read about her brief and unhappy experience at the local schoolhouse. Her love for staying at home and playing with her dolls was so strong that she resorted to a strange and daring trick just to get a few days off from classes.
According to the History and Culture Service of Saed News, the memoirs of Zahra Khanum Taj al-Saltaneh, daughter of Naser al-Din Shah, are a historical treasure, offering fascinating details about life in the Qajar court. In these notes, Taj al-Saltaneh often views the reign of Qajar kings, including her father, through a critical lens.
Zahra Khanum Taj al-Saltaneh, the daughter of Naser al-Din Shah and Maryam Turan al-Saltaneh, was born in 1883 (1262 in the Iranian calendar). She was one of the educated and literary women of the Naseri court, and her memoir booklet reflects her literary taste and natural writing talent.
In her memoirs, Taj al-Saltaneh recounts captivating details of court life during her childhood and youth. Written in a critical yet eloquent style, these writings are a valuable resource for understanding Qajar culture, society, daily life, and politics.
At the age of seven, by order of His Majesty the Sultan, I was sent to the maktabkhaneh (traditional school), where a teacher, a lady tutor, and an attendant were assigned to me… I was taken to the maktabkhaneh, given gifts, and a celebration was held. Yet I felt deeply sad and bored, for my freedom to play had been taken from me, and I was separated from my beautiful toys and beloved dolls. Most days, I would quarrel with my teacher and tutor and refused to study no matter what. The other girls were punished for my disobedience, but it had no effect on me. I was very stubborn and headstrong and paid no attention to scolding… I considered myself all-wise and in command, for as far back as I could remember, all I had known was respect and obedience, and everything I desired was granted to me.
I always wished that my teacher would fall ill or die so I could enjoy a few days of freedom, playing and mischief. By chance, the teacher was young and robust, and never became ill. Until one day, I told the playmates that if they could make the teacher sick or bedridden for a few days, I would give them a large portion of my toys… On Saturday, as we went to the maktabkhaneh, one of the boys, named Abbas Khan, placed a large amount of gunpowder under the teacher’s chair and set a fuse to the door. When we left for lunch, he lit the fuse. The poor teacher, unaware of anything, sat down again on her cushion—and suddenly the gunpowder ignited, burning all her clothes from the waist down.
The afternoon classes were canceled, and we were free from lessons for almost a week. But later, it was discovered that I had orchestrated the incident. I was punished by being struck on the palms, and because I had never been disciplined before, the marks left me sore and bedridden for a week.
