From the Beating of Nasser al-Din Shah’s Daughter for Wearing Makeup on the Day of Her Father’s Assassination, to the Publication of the Assassination Moment in a French Newspaper

The moment of Nasser al-Din Shah's assassination was published in a French newspaper.

There are various accounts from court officials, including women from the harem, regarding the last day of Nasser al-Din Shah's life. Among these, we have chosen the account of Taj al-Sultana, the daughter of Nasser al-Din Shah, who, while describing her father's last day, expresses her suspicions about Amin al-Sultan and highlights his involvement in the Shah's assassination. She also mentions the opposition of Anis al-Dawla to the Shah's trip to Shah Abdul-Azim, as if she had foreseen that something bad would happen. However, her opposition was in vain, and the Shah proceeded toward his inevitable fate.

On the morning of the day my father was killed, as he was leaving the bathhouse, Anis al-Dawla waited at the door of the bath to speak with him privately. After going to his room, she threw herself at his feet and said, "A prophet has told me that you are in danger for three more days. Please, for your own sake and the sake of these people, cancel your trip to Shah Abdul-Azim today."

My father, after thinking for a while, lifted his head and said: "If my people judge me with care and fairness, I do not believe I have been a bad ruler. In all my reign, I have never caused anyone's death, nor have I had major disputes with neighboring states. I have always prioritized the welfare of the people over my own. I have not wasted public money, and I have not taken the people's wealth. Today, there are millions in the treasury, jewels in the vault. My whole effort during my reign has been for the wealth of Iran. I have planned for the people to have a right after a century, to stop taxation, to open a parliament where elected representatives from the provinces can participate. I do not think it is in the interest of the people to kill me. If, despite all my services to the people, they still wish for my death, I will not go out for three days. But on the fourth day, when I go out, they will kill me. So let them kill me, and after my death, the people will suffer, and only then will they realize my worth."

And he told Anis al-Dawla, "I am not afraid. But I feel sorry for the people of Iran, because my son is not capable of ruling, and everything I have accumulated with great difficulty over fifty years will be wasted in a few years by him."

Tears filled my father's eyes as he wiped his face with a handkerchief. Anis al-Dawla cried out, "Oh! You are the Sultan; are you crying? You have power; are you pleading?" He replied, "No, Anis al-Dawla! I am not crying for myself. I am crying for this land and its people."

Anis al-Dawla then said, "Your people love you. The one who is betraying you has been raised under your care. This person [referring to Amin al-Sultan, the prime minister] is the one you promoted to this position, and now he stands against you. He is a traitor and does not deserve to be counted as part of the noble people of Iran."

After a deep thought, my father said, "If the prime minister is behind this, he will receive his punishment. I had already planned to punish him after my death. Since you insist, I will have him arrested tomorrow."

Despite my stepmother's repeated insistence to cancel the trip, the Shah was determined to go, and it was on that very journey that he was killed.

The court ladies were informed, and the situation became chaotic. Despite orders not to spread the news, a servant could no longer contain himself and shouted, "The Shah has been shot, but he's still alive." This caused a frenzy among the women who rushed out of their rooms, crying out for the chance to see the Shah.

They were told that the Shah was fine and would come out soon, but after waiting and seeing no sign of him, they became frantic and ran to the streets, disregarding all propriety.

In this chaotic day, I found myself caught up in the confusion. A new cosmetic product for darkening eyebrows had been introduced in the harem, and I had used it that morning. In the midst of the chaos, I found myself disoriented, not knowing whether my father was alive or dead. Suddenly, a slap to my face made blood pour from my nose. I turned, confused, and received another slap. I thought I was being beaten because they believed I was an orphan. Eventually, I heard my mother's harsh voice: "Today is the day you decided to darken your eyebrows like this?"

I screamed in frustration, "How could I have known? You told me to do it!"

She replied, "Stop making excuses and clean it up!"

I rushed back home, amid the turmoil and cries, trying to clean my face with vinegar oil. However, it wouldn't come off, and in my frustration, I shaved my eyebrows completely, creating an odd and comical look for myself. I then ran back to the crowd, hoping to find out if my father was alive or dead.

Later in the day, the truth was revealed: my dear father had been killed... (Taj al-Sultana's Memoirs, pp. 60-63).