The Shahanshah, Empress Farah and members of the Royal family
B I O G R A P H I E S
The Shahanshah, Empress Farah and members of the Royal family
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In 1959 the Shahanshah married Empress Farah Pahlavi, formerly Farah Diba. The Imperial couple have four children - Prince Reza, the Crown Prince, Princess Farahnaz, Prince Ali Reza and Princess Leila. From his earlier marriage to Princess Fawzia, the sister of former King Farouk of Egypt, the Shah had a daughter, Princess Shahnaz. From his second marriage to Princess Soraya who passed away during October 2001 the King had no children.
Queen Fawzia and Queen
Soraya
The Shahanshah deliberately postponed his Coronation until the 26th year of his reign, having pledged that he would not formally get crowned until he had transformed Iran into a more prosperous and progressive nation. In 1967 the time had come, and in a ceremony in the Golestan Palace, a coronation finally took place.
In 1965 Parliament bestowed on the Shahanshah the title Aryamehr, literally "Light of the Aryans" symbolizing the nation's belief that he is one of the great monarchs of Iran. As the Danish scholar Christensen has written, "A king in Iran was not the political head of the nation so much as a teacher and a guide. He was not only a builder of roads, bridges, dams and canals, but a leader in spirit, thought and heart." In October, 1971, the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great was celebrated. Many Heads of State and their personal representatives attended the celebrations at Persepolis.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi had five brothers and three sisters. One brother, Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi, died in a plane crash in 1954. His Imperial Majesty's elder sister, Princess Shams Pahlavi who passed away in exile was president of the Red Lion and Sun Society, Iran's equivalent of the Red Cross.
Empress Farah Pahlavi
was born on October 14, 1938, the only daughter of Sohrab Diba, who died when she was only nine years old. Her father, a graduate of St. Cyr and an Iranian Army officer, had a law degree from the University of Paris. Her mother, Mme. Farideh Diba, personally supervized her education, first at Tehran's Jeanne d'Arc School and then at Razi school. Later she continued her schooling at the Ecole d'Architecture in Paris, where she was studying up to the time of her marriage to the Shahanshah which took place on December 20, 1959. As Empress she pursued her interests in social work, sport and art. Most of her time was devoted to the promotion of social welfare and culture, and she was the patron of 24 educational, health, cultural and charity organizations. In addition to supervising the work of these organizations in Tehran the Empress pays frequently visitsed the most remote parts of Iran to obtain first-hand knowledge of the life and aspirations of the people. Apart from accompanyinq the Shahanshah on official visits abroad, the Empress has also paid a number of official and quasi-official visits to foreign countries in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. SEE YEAR 2003 GOTHA SITE IN FRANCE FOR MANY PICTURES.
Empress Farah's interest and personal involvement in the arts have been largely responsible for Iran's current cultural evolution and her frequent visits to art exhibitions and performances have gave fresh incentive to all Iranian artistic activities. She supported young Iranian artists through her personal collection, and was the driving force behind a number of specialized art museums and other projects to preserve and publicize ancient and traditional art and architecture.
Princess Ashraf Pahlavi
the Kings twin sister, championed the cause of human rights, and most particularly women's emancipation, at home and abroad. She took a vigorous stand in the worldwide literacy campaign, in which Iran played an important part. The Princess was the leader of the Iranian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. he Shahanshah's third sister is Princess Fatmeh Pahlavi who passed away and was closely concerned with higher education. Prince Gholam Reza Pahlavi was Inspector-General of the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces and President of lran's National Olympic Committee. Prince Abdorreza Pahlavi was a specialist in economic affairs, and closely concerned with environmental problems at home and abroad. The Monarch's other brothers were Prince Ahmad Reza Pahlavi, Prince Mahmoud Reza Pahlavi and Prince Hamid Reza Pahlavi.
