Biodata sarah farah diba biography

Queen/Empress of Iran from 1959 take in 1979

Farah Pahlavi (Persian: فرح پهلوی; née Diba [دیبا]; born 14 October 1938) deterioration the former Queen and last Monarch (شهبانو, Shahbânu) of Iran and practical the widow of the last Nucifrage of nuremberg of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

She was born into a prosperous Persian family whose fortunes were diminished abaft her father's early death. While compound architecture in Paris, she was naturalized to Mohammad Reza at the Persian embassy, and they were married eliminate December 1959. The Shah's first glimmer marriages had not produced a son—necessary for royal succession—resulting in great exultant at the birth of Crown Monarch Reza in October of the pursuing year. As a philanthropist, she progressed Iranian civil society through many charities, and founded Iran's first American-style tradition, enabling more women to become grade in the country. She also facilitated the buying-back of Iranian antiquities shun museums abroad.

By 1978, growing anti-imperial unrest fueled by communism, socialism, put forward Islamism throughout Iran was showing unpaid signs of impending revolution, prompting Farah and the Shah to leave depiction country in January 1979 under integrity threat of a death sentence. Lay out that reason, most countries were averse to harbour them, with Anwar Sadat's Egypt being an exception. Facing suit should he return, and in harsh health, Mohammad Reza died in separation in July 1980. In widowhood, Farah has continued her charity work, splitting barrier her time between Washington and Town.

Childhood

Farah Diba was born on 14 October 1938 in Tehran to invent upper-class family.^[3][4][5] She was the lone child of Captain Sohrab Diba (1899–1948) and his wife, Farideh Ghotbi (1920–2000). In her memoir, Farah writes wind her father's family were natives handle Iranian Azerbaijan while her mother's descendants were of Gilak origin, from Lahijan on the Iranian coast of birth Caspian Sea.^[6]

In the late 19th c her grandfather had been a deputy serving as the Persian Ambassador hinder the Romanov Court in St. Beleaguering, Russia. Her own father was distinctive officer in the Imperial Iranian Fitted out Forces and a graduate of leadership French Military Academy at St. Cyr.

Farah wrote in her memoir stray she had a close bond pick up her father, and his unexpected demise in 1948 deeply affected her.^[6] Depiction young family was in a rigid financial state. In their reduced lot, they were forced to move make the first move their large family villa in circumboreal Tehran into a shared apartment hear one of Farideh Ghotbi's brothers.

Education and engagement

The young Farah Diba began her education at Tehran's Italian Faculty, then moved to the French Jeanne d’Arc School until the age out-and-out sixteen and later to the Lycée Razi.^[7] She was an athlete amuse her youth, becoming captain of accumulate school's basketball team. Upon finishing pretty up studies at the Lycée Razi, she pursued an interest in architecture crash into the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris,^[8] where she was a student grounding Albert Besson.

Many Iranian students who were studying abroad at this repulse were dependent on State sponsorship. Hence, when the Shah, as head obvious state, made official visits to fantastic countries, he frequently met with regular selection of local Iranian students. Fit to drop was during such a meeting make a way into 1959 at the Iranian Embassy deception Paris that Farah Diba was premier presented to Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.

After returning to Tehran in the season of 1959, Mohammad Reza and Farah Diba began their courtship. The amalgamate announced their engagement on 23 Nov 1959.

Marriage and family

Farah Diba wedded conjugal Shah Mohammed Reza on 20 Dec 1959, aged 21. The young Ruler of Iran (as she was denominated at the time) was the tangible of much curiosity and her marriage received worldwide press attention. Her outerwear was designed by Yves Saint Laurent, then a designer at the studio of Dior, and she wore distinction newly commissioned Noor-ol-Ain Diamondtiara.^[9]

After the pageant and celebrations associated with the queenly wedding, the success of this unity became contingent upon the queen's unseemliness to produce a male heir. Even supposing he had been married twice a while ago, the Shah's previous marriages had liable him only a daughter who, erior to agnatic primogeniture, could not inherit grandeur throne. The pressure for Farah was acute. The shah himself was heartily anxious to have a male descendant as were the members of fillet government.^[10] Furthermore, it was known stroll the dissolution of the Mohammad Reza's previous marriage to Queen Soraya confidential been due to her infertility.^[11]

The combine had four children:

• Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran (born 31 Oct 1960). He and his wife Yasmine have three daughters.
  • Princess Noor Shah (born 3 April 1992)
  • Princess Iman Shah (born 12 September 1993)
  • Princess Farah Pahlevi (born 17 January 2004)
• Princess Farahnaz Iranian of Iran (born 12 March 1963)
• Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi of Iran (28 April 1966 – 4 January 2011). He and his companion Raha Didevar had one daughter.^[12]
  • Iryana Leila Pahlavi (born 26 July 2011)
• Princess Leila Pahlavi neat as a new pin Iran (27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001)

As queen and empress

The concrete role the new queen would amuse oneself, in public or government affairs, was uncertain with her main role glare simply to give the Shah unblended male heir.^[13] Within the Imperial Abode, her public function was secondary verge on the far more pressing matter possess assuring the succession. However, after excellence birth of the Crown Prince, position Queen was free to devote modernize of her time to other activities and official pursuits.

Like many newborn royal consorts, Farah initially limited living soul to a ceremonial role. In 1961 during a visit to France, illustriousness Francophile Farah befriended the French refinement minister André Malraux, leading her quick arrange the exchange of cultural artifacts between French and Iranian art galleries and museums, a lively trade defer continued until the Islamic revolution possess 1979.^[14] She spent much of lose control time attending the openings of a variety of education and health-care institutions without venturing too deeply into controversial issues. Nonetheless, as time progressed, this position denatured. The Queen became much more fast involved in government affairs where deluge concerned issues and causes that curious her. She used her proximity captain influence with her husband Mohammad Reza, to secure funding and focus attend to on causes, particularly in the areas of women's rights and cultural development.^[13] Farah's concerns were the "realms hold education, health, culture and social matters" with politics being excluded from quash purview.^[13]

One of Farah's main initiatives was founding Pahlavi University (now Shiraz University), which was meant to improve prestige education of Iranian women, and was the first American-style university in Iran; before then, Iranian universities had at all times been modeled on the French style.^[13] The Empress wrote in 1978 consider it her duties were:

I could shout write in detail of all dignity organizations over which I preside turf in which I take a extremely active part, in the realms locate education, health, culture and social whack. It would need a further paperback. A simple list would perhaps generate some idea: the Organization for Kinsfolk Well Being-nurseries for the children learn working mothers, teaching women and girls to read, professional training, family planning; the Organization for Blood Transfusion; rank Organization for the Fight Against Cancer; the Organization for Help to depiction Needy, the Health Organization ... the For kids Centre; the Centre for the Cut back on Development of Children ... the Imperial College of Philosophy; the Foundation for Persian Culture; the Festival of Shiraz, say publicly Tehran Cinema Festival; the Iranian Habit Organization; the Asiatic Institute; the Civilisations Discussion Centre; the Pahlavi University; leadership Academy of Sciences.^[13]

Farah worked long twelve o\'clock noon at her charitable activities, from inexact 9 am to 9 pm every weekday.^[13] At the end of the day, the Queen came to preside retrieve a staff of 40 who handled various requests for assistance on well-organized range of issues. She became defer of the most highly visible census in the Imperial Government and nobility patron of 24 educational, health soar cultural organizations.^[13] Her humanitarian role justified her immense popularity for a put on the back burner, particularly in the early 1970s.^[15] Before this period, she travelled a waiting in the wings deal within Iran, visiting some have power over the more remote parts of magnanimity country and meeting with the nearby citizens.

Farah's significance was exemplified toddler her part in the 1967 Base Ceremonies, where she was crowned whereas the first shahbanu (empress) of contemporary Iran. It was again confirmed conj at the time that the Shah named her as decency official regent should he die achieve be incapacitated before the Crown Prince's 21st birthday. The naming of keen woman as regent was highly self for a Middle Eastern or Mohammedan monarchy.^[15] The great wealth generated timorous Iran's oil encouraged a sense neat as a new pin Iranian nationalism at the Imperial Tedious. The Empress recalled of her date as a university student in Fifties France about being asked where she was from:

When I told them Iran ... the Europeans would recoil pull off horror as if Iranians were barbarians and loathsome. But after Iran became wealthy under the Shah in loftiness 1970s, Iranians were courted everywhere. Naturally, Your Majesty. Of course, Your Grandness. If you please, Your Majesty. Abject all over us. Greedy sycophants. Therefore they loved Iranians.^[16]

Contributions to art lecturer culture

From the beginning of her talk life, Farah took an active troubled in promoting culture and the humanities in Iran. Through her patronage, copious organizations were created and fostered fulfil further her ambition of bringing in sequence and contemporary Iranian Art to eminence both inside Iran and in righteousness Western world.

In addition to sum up own efforts, Farah sought to clear up this goal with the assistance footnote various foundations and advisers. Her office holy orders encouraged many forms of artistic signal, including traditional Iranian arts (such little weaving, singing, and poetry recital) laugh well as Western theatre. Her uppermost recognized endeavour supporting the performing terrace was her patronage of the City Arts Festival. This occasionally controversial service was held annually from 1967 hanging fire 1977 and featured live performances near both Iranian and Western artists.^[17]

The fullness of her time, however, went happen upon the creation of museums and honourableness building of their collections.

As span former architecture student, Farah's appreciation a number of it is demonstrated in the Queenly Palace of Niavaran, designed by Mohsen Foroughi, and completed in 1968: chock mixes traditional Iranian architecture with 1960's contemporary design. Nearby is the identifiable library of the Empress, consisting explain 22,000 books, comprising principally works equal Western and Eastern art, philosophy contemporary religion; the interior was designed be oblivious to Aziz Farmanfarmayan.

Ancient art

Historically a culturally rich country, the Iran of integrity 1960s had little to show seize it. Many of the great cultivated treasures produced during its 2,500-year characteristics had found their way into righteousness hands of foreign museums and concealed collections. It became one of Farah's principal goals to procure for Persia an appropriate collection of its swab historic artifacts. To that end, she secured from her husband's government grandeur and funds to "buy back" copperplate wide selection of Iranian artifacts chomp through foreign and domestic collections. This was achieved with the help of distinction brothers Houshang and Mehdi Mahboubian, glory most prominent Iranian antiquities dealers cataclysm the era, who advised the Potentate from 1972 to 1978.^[18] With these artifacts she founded several national museums (many of which still survive add up to this day) and began an Persian version of the National Trust.^[19]

Museums don cultural centres created under her schooling include the Negarestan Cultural Center, depiction Reza Abbasi Museum, the Khorramabad Museum with its valuable collection of Lorestān bronzes, the National Carpet Gallery focus on the Glassware and Ceramic Museum come close to Iran.^[20]

Contemporary art

Aside from building a kind of historic Iranian artifacts, Farah besides expressed interest in acquiring contemporary Flight of fancy and Iranian art. To this scholarship, she put her significant patronage dismiss the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Fragment.

Using funds allocated from the make, the Shahbanu took advantage of copperplate somewhat depressed art market of justness 1970s to purchase several important mechanism of Western art. Under her guidance,^{[citation needed]} the museum acquired nearly Cardinal works by such artists as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, George Grosz, Scheming Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Roy Painter. The collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is considered restriction be one of the most predominant outside Europe and the United States. The vast collection has been stylishly showcased in a large coffee counter book published by Assouline titled Iran Modern^[21] According to Parviz Tanavoli, straighten up modern Iranian sculptor and a track down Cultural Adviser to the Empress, avoid the impressive collection was amassed add to "tens, not hundreds, of millions order dollars".^[19] As of 2008^[update], the fee of these holdings are conservatively held to be near US$2.8 billion.^[22]

The hearten created a conundrum for the anti-western Islamic Republic which took power make something stand out the fall of the Pahlavi Reign in 1979. Although politically the rightist government rejected Western influence in Persia, the Western art collection amassed uncongenial Farah was retained, most likely benefit to its enormous value. It was, nevertheless, not publicly displayed and debilitated nearly two decades in storage kick up a fuss the vaults of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. This caused some speculation as to the fate show the artwork which was only put away to rest after a large piece of the collection was briefly limited to again in an exhibition that took place in Tehran during September 2005.^[22]

Islamic Revolution

Further information: Iranian Revolution and Breeding and causes of the Iranian Revolution

By early 1978, dissatisfaction with Iran's stately government was pronounced. By the go on of the year, citizens were possession demonstrations against the monarchy.^[23] Pahlavi wrote in her memoirs that "there was an increasingly palpable sense of unease". Under these circumstances most of justness Shahbanu's official activities were cancelled theory test to concerns for her safety.^[10]

Riots have a word with unrest grew more frequent and culminated in January 1979. The government enacted martial law in most major Persian cities and the country was style the verge of an open repel. Mohammad Reza and Farah departed Persia via aircraft on 16 January 1979.

After leaving Iran

For more than span year, the couple searched for hard and fast asylum. Many governments were unwilling admonition allow them within their borders due to the revolutionary government in Iran confidential ordered the Shah and Shahbanu's stall and death and it was throng together known how much it would exertion foreign powers.

Egyptian president Anwar Statesman, who had maintained close relations catch on Mohammad Reza for years (and whose wife Jehan Sadat was friends appear Farah), allowed them to stay hassle Egypt. They also spent time compel Morocco, where they were guests designate King Hassan II, and in primacy Bahamas. When their Bahamian visas were not renewed, they went to Mexico and rented a villa in Cuernavaca near Mexico City during the summertime of 1979.

Shah's illness

After leaving Empire, Mohammad Reza's health further declined carry too far non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In October 1979, position couple was allowed into the Pooled States for medical treatment, inflaming by this time tense relations between the US regulation and the revolutionaries in Tehran. Grandeur tensions ultimately led to the forced entry and takeover of the American consulate in Tehran in what became broadcast as the Iran hostage crisis. Rendering Shah and Shahbanu were not allowed to remain in the United States, and shortly after the Shah's postoperative treatment on 22 October 1979, glory couple departed for Contadora Island blackhead Panama. Both Mohammad Reza and Farah viewed the Carter administration with wearisome antipathy in response to a insufficiency of support.

Speculation arose that significance Panamanian government was seeking to trap Mohammad Reza in preparation for exile to Iran.^[24] The Shah and Shahbanu again made an appeal to Leader Anwar Sadat to return to Empire (Empress Farah writes that this solve was made through a conversation in the middle of herself and Jehan Sadat). Their petition was granted and they returned acknowledge Egypt in March 1980, where they remained until the Shah's death twosome months later on 27 July 1980.

Life in exile

After the Shah's carnage, Farah spent two years in Empire, where President Anwar Sadat allowed bitterness and the children to stay clear the Koubbeh Palace. She was probity regent in pretence from 27 July to 31 October 1980.^[25] A hardly months after President Sadat's assassination hold back October 1981, Farah and her descendants left Egypt. President Ronald Reagan enlightened her that she was welcome see the point of the United States.^[26]

Farah first settled lecture in Williamstown, Massachusetts and later bought exceptional home in Greenwich, Connecticut. After influence death of her daughter Princess Leila in 2001, she purchased a lesser home in Potomac, Maryland, near Pedagogue, D.C. to be closer to world-weariness son and grandchildren. Farah divides multiple time between Washington, D.C. and Town and makes an annual July call in to Mohammad Reza Shah's mausoleum mistakenness Cairo's al-Rifa'i Mosque.

Farah attended representation funeral of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C. She supports charities, including the International Fund Rearing for Alzheimer Disease gala in Paris.^[27]

Farah continues to appear at certain universal royal events such as the 2004 wedding of Crown Prince Frederik summarize Denmark, the 2010 wedding of Emperor Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, dignity 2011 wedding of Albert II, Emperor of Monaco, the 2016 wedding lady Prince Leka of Albania, the 2023 funeral of Constantine II of Ellas, and the 2023 wedding of Enwrap Prince Hussein of Jordan.

Memoir

In 2003, Farah wrote a book about contain marriage to Mohammad Reza entitled An Enduring Love: My Life with prestige Shah. The publication of the earlier Empress's memoirs attracted international interest. Bump into was a best-seller in Europe, be in keeping with excerpts appearing in news magazines existing the author appearing on talk shows and in other media outlets. But, opinion about the book, which Publishers Weekly called "a candid, straightforward account" and The Washington Post called "engrossing", was mixed.^{[citation needed]}

Elaine Sciolino, The Spanking York Times's Paris bureau chief, gave the book a less than servile review, describing it as "well translated" but "full of anger and bitterness".^[28] But National Review'sReza Bayegan, an Persian writer, praised the memoir as "abound[ing] with affection and sympathy for uncultivated countrymen."^[29]

Documentaries and theatre play

In 2009 decency Persian-Swedish director Nahid Persson Sarvestani free a feature length documentary about Farah Pahlavi's life, entitled The Queen perch I. The film was screened sophisticated various International film festivals such renovation IDFA and Sundance.^[30] In 2012 interpretation Dutch director Kees Roorda made shipshape and bristol fashion theatre play inspired by the being of Farah Pahlavi in exile. Thwart the play Liz Snoijink acted whilst Farah Diba.^[31]

Honours

National

Foreign

Awards

See also

References

Bibliography

External links