Saed News: Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar, in his memoirs from his second trip to Europe in 1280 AH (1320 AH / 1902 AD), writes about the flirtation of a German woman and his indifference toward her.
According to the historical service of the analytical news outlet Saed News, the Qajar king recounts an interesting and readable story about a German woman trying to charm him, noting that he paid her no attention.
After visiting Russia, Austria, and Italy, Mozaffar al-Din Shah chose Germany as the fourth destination of his journey. Following his meeting with the German Emperor in Berlin, he claimed to travel to the city of Karlsbad for medical treatment. During his stay there, in his travelogue entry dated Friday, 6th Rabi' al-Awwal 1320 AH, he tells the story of a German woman attempting to seduce him. Here is a summary of the account:
“In the morning, due to my illness, I couldn’t go hiking as usual. We rode in a carriage, drank mineral water, and visited a coffeehouse. Fakhr al-Mulk, Seyf al-Sultan, and Agha Seyyed Hossein accompanied me. After we finished our drinks, we returned to our residence. At the gate, we saw His Excellency Atabak A’zam (Prime Minister), who also spoke of his outing. We sat in the tent, had tea, and ordered four more tents of the same kind to be made for Shahabad, Doshan Tappeh, and Sahibqaraniyeh. We also instructed Monsieur Ulis, the hotel conductor, to bring a sample of the fabric, which was deemed suitable.
Then we had lunch and later walked in the hotel garden. We took photos of His Excellency Atabak A’zam and other attendants. Opposite us, in another hotel, there was a woman performing strange and bizarre acts—singing and dancing—trying to charm us. But we paid her no attention.”
The Shah continues describing his visit to Villa Park, noting a peculiar man adorned with all kinds of items, whom they also photographed. Seyf al-Sultan remarked that the man looked like a moving shop. The group had tea served by a beautiful waitress at the coffeehouse, then returned to town to attend a play. The Shah praised the performance of Mademoiselle Vala, who sang and danced very well.
He concludes by mentioning that after returning home, he called for Noqreh al-Mulk, but was told he was asleep—so the Shah went to bed as well.
Mozaffar al-Din Shah, who had never traveled abroad during his crown prince years, visited Europe three times during his reign under the pretense of seeking medical treatment for gout and to benefit from mineral waters.
His first journey was in 1278 SH (1318 AH / 1900 AD). In 1280 SH (1320 AH / 1902 AD), not having visited England on his first trip, he set out again. He traveled a third time also under the pretense of illness.
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