Saed News: Taj al-Saltaneh, one of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar’s daughters, followed in her father's footsteps by writing memoirs for future generations. One of these memories recounts the royal game played by the Qajar king and the women of the harem, which Taj al-Saltaneh described from beginning to end in full detail.
According to the historical section of Saed News, many people have jokingly played around with turning lights on and off, but Naser al-Din Shah’s invented game of “light extinguishing” was a very different matter. As narrated by his daughter, it went as follows:
“One of the games I loved dearly and wished to attend every night it was held was a game my father invented and named ‘Cheragh Khamoosh-Koni’—the light-extinguishing game.
At the time, there were a hundred gas lamps in the women’s quarters, but electric lights had just been invented, and all royal buildings had been wired with electricity. The game took place in the White Hall (Talār-e Abyaz), and due to its spaciousness, my father chose that location specifically.
On the evenings when the game was to be played, the women were informed in advance. The noble and high-ranking ladies often did not participate, considering it beneath their dignity. However, the rest joined in eagerly and cheerfully.
Although the game appeared childish on the surface, my father had a deeper intention: firstly, to gain full awareness of what was happening within the harem, and secondly, to discover which ladies were allies and which were enemies. It was the perfect way to uncover these dynamics.
In the beginning, and even later on, the women had no idea of his true motive. They viewed the game as just a harmless pastime. The game consisted of turning off the lights.
In the darkness, complete freedom reigned—they could kiss each other, hit, bite, gouge eyes, break heads or hands. Everyone gathered in the center of the hall at the start of the game, and my father would sit on a chair beside the light switch. As the women chatted, he would suddenly turn off the light.
Chaos would erupt—screams, shouting, swearing, and fighting. Everyone was doing something. The polite ones would quickly crawl into a corner and hide under a bench, table, or chair to escape unharmed.
The wild ones would fight—both hitting and being hit. In that absolute darkness, with shrieks echoing and the unknown dangers all around, it felt like one of the corners of hell. Then, suddenly, the lights would come back on, revealing everyone as they were—clothes torn, faces bloody, hair disheveled, eyes red with rage…
What was astonishing was that as soon as the lights were turned on, everyone would burst into laughter, and the game would resume. After nearly two hours of this madness, the wounded were shown kindness, and those whose clothes had been shredded received monetary gifts as compensation. Thus, the gathering came to an end.”
