Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi
Encyclopedia
Bibi Khānoom Astarābādi (1858 or 1859–1921) was a notable Iranian writer, satirist, and one of the pioneering figures in the women's movement of Iran.
Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi was born to the family of Mohammad Baqer Khan Astarabadi, one of the notable men of Astarabad (the present-day Gorgan
), and Khadijeh Khanom (خديجه خانم), known as Mollah Bāji (ملاباجی), one of the companions of Shokooh ol-Saltaneh (شکوه السلطنه), wife to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar. The title Mollah Bāji (see Mollah
) is indicative that she must have been educated and in charge of more than the daily household chores of Shah's Court. Indeed, she has been in charge of the education of the children in the court of Nasser al-Din Shah.
At the age of 22, Bibi Khatoon married Musa Khan Vaziri who was a prominent official in the Persian Cossack Brigade
. They had seven children, of whom the most distinguished are Colonel Ali-Naqi Vaziri
(musicologist, composer, a celebrated player of the tar
, and the founder of the Academy of Music of Iran as well of Iran's National Orchestra), and Hasan Vaziri (an artistic painter). Dr Mah-Laghā Mallah (دكتر مه لقا ملاح), founder and director of Iran's "Women's Society against Environmental Pollution" (founded in 1992 to educate children and mothers, as well as state's officials, about dangers of environmental pollution) is the maternal granddaughter of Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi.
Bibi Khatoon was one of the influential figures in the Iranian constitutional revolution in the late 19th and the early 20th century. She founded the first school for girls (named The School for Girls — دبستان دوشیزگان) in the modern history of Iran and wrote numerous articles in defence of the right of girls to receive universal education. Her articles appeared in such newspapers as Tamaddon (تمدن - Civilization), Habl al-Matin (حبل المتين - Firm Rope) and Majles (مجلس - Parliament). Bibi Khatoon is also known for her book Ma'ayeb al-Rejal (معايب الرجال - Failings of Men), which was a critical response to the pamphlet Ta'deeb al-Nesvan (تاديب النسوان - Edification of Women) by an anonymous author. Ma'ayeb al-Rejal was published in 1895, eleven years before the inauguration of Iran's system of constitutional monarchy in 1906 by the decree of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar
. This book is considered by some as the first declaration of women's rights in the recent history of Iran.
, it was attended both by young girls and their mothers as well as grandmothers, for some of the latter it may have been a unique opportunity for obtaining formal education for the first time in their lives. The school was equipped with such facilities as may be taken for granted from the present-day perspective (such as desks), however it should be borne in mind that this school provision was part of Bibi Khatoon's residential home and not part of a purpose-built educational facility. This clearly testifies to Bibi Khatoon's wholehearted dedication to the cause of women's education in Iran.
The subjects taught at this school consisted of, in alphabetic order, Arabic language
, Arithmetic
, Cookery, Geography
, History
, Law
, Music
, Persian literature
, and Religion
, to name but some. It is relevant to point out that in 1936, almost thirty years after the establishment of The School for Girls, 12 women were for the first time admitted to University of Tehran
, who entered all faculties.
According to the official data provided by Iran's ministry of higher education, at the turn of the present century some 70% of all students in higher education were women; according to the same data, however, by the same time only 20% of the PhD
positions at academic institutions were occupied by women.
The historical site of The School for Girls survived in its original form for some 22 years following the death of Bibi Khatoon in 1921; in 1943 this site was sold (for 25,000 Tumans
) by the extant members of Bibi Khatoon's direct family.
, Ta'deeb al-Nesvan, published in 1288 AH
(1895), is a small booklet authored by one of the princes of the Qajar Court, "who must have feared his wife so greatly that he has not had the courage to put his name on it as its author" (in other words, the author of the book is an anonymous Prince). A short summary of the main recommendations in this book, aimed at the "edification" of women, is as follows:
[The following, left in the bottom of this page by Special:Contributions/69.139.232.229 will have to be integrated into the main text]
The Vices of Men (Ma'ayib al-Rijal) (1887),a pungent satire, is in fact an answer to an earlier work entitled The Education of Women (Ta'dib al-Niswan (translated into English by E. Powys Mathers in his Eastern Love, vol.iii, London, 1904). The anonymous writer of the latter seems to be a chauvinistic prince, and following the medieval tradition that was not accepted by Shia Muslim clerics. Bibi Khanum's answers to such absurdities are scathingly indignant. She writes that "genius of the world and unique writer of our times" seems strangely bereft of his senses. "He should have first corrected his own vices and then given us advice. One who has no share of existence, how can he inspire life? ...He regards himself as 'Westernized' and 'civilized,' but in fact, he is not even 'half-civilized.'(سیویلیزه و نیم ویلیزه) Does he not know that Europeans treat their women like flowers, and women freely associate with men?" The indication that the author was westernised clearly indicates, he must have been from the so called western influenced intellectuals. Strangely enough at the time women had very few rights in the west in comparison to Iran and only in some parts of the western world had been able to claim their rights to inheritance.
These two works were published by Hasan Javadi as "Two Qajar Essays on Men and Women: Ta'dib al-Nivan and Ma'ayib al-Rijal" in Washington in 1992.
رویایی زن و مرد در عصر قاجار در عصر قاجار: دو رساله تادیب النسوان و معایب الرجال
Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi was born to the family of Mohammad Baqer Khan Astarabadi, one of the notable men of Astarabad (the present-day Gorgan
Gorgan
Gorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...
), and Khadijeh Khanom (خديجه خانم), known as Mollah Bāji (ملاباجی), one of the companions of Shokooh ol-Saltaneh (شکوه السلطنه), wife to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar. The title Mollah Bāji (see Mollah
Mullah
Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
) is indicative that she must have been educated and in charge of more than the daily household chores of Shah's Court. Indeed, she has been in charge of the education of the children in the court of Nasser al-Din Shah.
At the age of 22, Bibi Khatoon married Musa Khan Vaziri who was a prominent official in the Persian Cossack Brigade
Persian Cossack Brigade
The Persian Cossack Brigade was an elite cavalry unit formed in 1879 in Iran. During much of their history they were the only functional, effective military unit of the Qajar Dynasty...
. They had seven children, of whom the most distinguished are Colonel Ali-Naqi Vaziri
Ali-Naqi Vaziri
Ali-Naqi Vaziri was a musicologist, composer, a celebrated player of the tar, and the founder of the Academy of Music of Iran as well of Iran's National Orchestra....
(musicologist, composer, a celebrated player of the tar
Tar (lute)
The tār is a long-necked, waisted Iranian instrument. It has been adopted by other cultures and Azerbaijan. The word tar itself means "string" in Persian, though it might have the same meaning in languages influenced by Persian or any other branches of Iranian languages like Kurdish...
, and the founder of the Academy of Music of Iran as well of Iran's National Orchestra), and Hasan Vaziri (an artistic painter). Dr Mah-Laghā Mallah (دكتر مه لقا ملاح), founder and director of Iran's "Women's Society against Environmental Pollution" (founded in 1992 to educate children and mothers, as well as state's officials, about dangers of environmental pollution) is the maternal granddaughter of Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi.
Bibi Khatoon was one of the influential figures in the Iranian constitutional revolution in the late 19th and the early 20th century. She founded the first school for girls (named The School for Girls — دبستان دوشیزگان) in the modern history of Iran and wrote numerous articles in defence of the right of girls to receive universal education. Her articles appeared in such newspapers as Tamaddon (تمدن - Civilization), Habl al-Matin (حبل المتين - Firm Rope) and Majles (مجلس - Parliament). Bibi Khatoon is also known for her book Ma'ayeb al-Rejal (معايب الرجال - Failings of Men), which was a critical response to the pamphlet Ta'deeb al-Nesvan (تاديب النسوان - Edification of Women) by an anonymous author. Ma'ayeb al-Rejal was published in 1895, eleven years before the inauguration of Iran's system of constitutional monarchy in 1906 by the decree of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar
Mozzafar al-Din Shah
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, KG was the fifth Qajar king of Iran. He reigned between the years 1896 and 1907.He is credited with the creation of the Iranian constitution, and often wrongly credited with the rise of the Persian Constitutional Revolution which took place immediately after his...
. This book is considered by some as the first declaration of women's rights in the recent history of Iran.
The School for Girls (دبستان دوشیزگان)
Founded in 1907 at the residential home of Bibi Khatoon in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, it was attended both by young girls and their mothers as well as grandmothers, for some of the latter it may have been a unique opportunity for obtaining formal education for the first time in their lives. The school was equipped with such facilities as may be taken for granted from the present-day perspective (such as desks), however it should be borne in mind that this school provision was part of Bibi Khatoon's residential home and not part of a purpose-built educational facility. This clearly testifies to Bibi Khatoon's wholehearted dedication to the cause of women's education in Iran.
Advertisement
The School for Girls
A new school, named The School for Girls [دبستان دوشیزگان], has been opened near the old gate of Mahmmadieh, the Hāji Mohammad-Hossein market. This school consists of a large courtyard and numerous rooms equipped with all necessary school outfits.
For the opening of this school five female teachers [معلمه] have been appointed, each responsible for one subject, such as Nokhost-nameh [نخست نامه], Writing/Calligraphy [مشق قلم], History of Iran [تاریخ ایران], Reading [قرائت], Cookery book [کتاب طباخی], Law [قانون], Religion [مذهب], Geography [جغرافیا], Science of Arithmetic [علم حساب]. Teaching will be adapted to the learning ability of each girl or woman.
In addition, a location has been set aside for teaching in manual arts, such as knitting [کاموا دوزی], gold embroidery [زری دوزی], silk embroidery [خامه دوزی], sewing [خیاطی], etc., and all these teachers are womenfolk [طایفه اناثیه] and with the exception of an aged porter [پیرمرد قاپوچی], no other man will be in the School.
Students between the ages of seven and twelve will be accepted. Elementary class [اطاق ابتدائی] is for fifteen qeran per month, practical class [اطاق عملی] for twenty-five qeran per month. Discount is offered to those in reduced circumstances [فقرأ]. For every two students [from the same family] one will be accepted free of charge. It is hoped that thousands of schools such as this one are to be inaugurated in our dear motherland [وطن عزیز ما].
Signature: Bibi Khanom Astarabadi.
(Published in the Majles daily newspaper of 28 March 1907.)
The subjects taught at this school consisted of, in alphabetic order, Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Arithmetic
Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
, Cookery, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, Persian literature
Persian literature
Persian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...
, and Religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, to name but some. It is relevant to point out that in 1936, almost thirty years after the establishment of The School for Girls, 12 women were for the first time admitted to University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
, who entered all faculties.
According to the official data provided by Iran's ministry of higher education, at the turn of the present century some 70% of all students in higher education were women; according to the same data, however, by the same time only 20% of the PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
positions at academic institutions were occupied by women.
The historical site of The School for Girls survived in its original form for some 22 years following the death of Bibi Khatoon in 1921; in 1943 this site was sold (for 25,000 Tumans
Toman
Toman is usually a surname, which is of German and Czech Origin. The English equivalent surname is "Thomas"The surname first emerged in medieval times across the borders of Bavaria,Germany and Bohemia,Czech...
) by the extant members of Bibi Khatoon's direct family.
On Ta'deeb al-Nesvan (تاديب النسوان - Edification of Women)
According to Ebrahim NabaviEbrahim Nabavi
Seyyed Ebrahim Nabavi is a prolific Iranian satirist, writer, diarist, and researcher. , he is the most widely known and active Iranian satirist, currently living in Belgium...
, Ta'deeb al-Nesvan, published in 1288 AH
Hijri year
The Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
(1895), is a small booklet authored by one of the princes of the Qajar Court, "who must have feared his wife so greatly that he has not had the courage to put his name on it as its author" (in other words, the author of the book is an anonymous Prince). A short summary of the main recommendations in this book, aimed at the "edification" of women, is as follows:
- (1) Woman is a being who similar to a child must be educated by a man.
- (2) Salvation of woman is conditional upon her absolute obedience to her husband.
- (3) Woman must never ask a favour from her husband; it is up to husband to deign to confer favours to his wife.
- (4) The duty of woman at home is provision of conditions that are conducive to her husband's tranquility.
- (5) The aim of matrimony consists of gratification of the husband's sexual desires.
- (6) Woman must at all times be abashed, except in bed.
- (7) Woman must not speak during meals.
- (8) Woman must, like an ailing individual, walk slowly.
- Etc.
[The following, left in the bottom of this page by Special:Contributions/69.139.232.229 will have to be integrated into the main text]
The Vices of Men (Ma'ayib al-Rijal) (1887),a pungent satire, is in fact an answer to an earlier work entitled The Education of Women (Ta'dib al-Niswan (translated into English by E. Powys Mathers in his Eastern Love, vol.iii, London, 1904). The anonymous writer of the latter seems to be a chauvinistic prince, and following the medieval tradition that was not accepted by Shia Muslim clerics. Bibi Khanum's answers to such absurdities are scathingly indignant. She writes that "genius of the world and unique writer of our times" seems strangely bereft of his senses. "He should have first corrected his own vices and then given us advice. One who has no share of existence, how can he inspire life? ...He regards himself as 'Westernized' and 'civilized,' but in fact, he is not even 'half-civilized.'(سیویلیزه و نیم ویلیزه) Does he not know that Europeans treat their women like flowers, and women freely associate with men?" The indication that the author was westernised clearly indicates, he must have been from the so called western influenced intellectuals. Strangely enough at the time women had very few rights in the west in comparison to Iran and only in some parts of the western world had been able to claim their rights to inheritance.
These two works were published by Hasan Javadi as "Two Qajar Essays on Men and Women: Ta'dib al-Nivan and Ma'ayib al-Rijal" in Washington in 1992.
رویایی زن و مرد در عصر قاجار در عصر قاجار: دو رساله تادیب النسوان و معایب الرجال
Response of Bibi Khatoon: Ma'ayeb al-Rejal (معايب الرجال - Failings of Men)
According to Ebrahim Nabavi, Ma'ayeb al-Rejal consists of two main parts, in one of which Bibi Khatoon responds directly to the contents of Ta'deeb al-Nesvan, and in the other she describes the conditions prevailing in the men's social gatherings of her time. True to her usual style of writing, Bibi Khatoon's tone in this book is derisive. [To be extended at a later occasion.]Further reading
- Afsaneh NajmabadiAfsaneh NajmabadiAfsāneh Najmābādi is an Iranian-American historian and gender theorist. She is professor of History and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. At present she chairs the Committee on Degrees in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality...
, Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity (University of California Press, Berkeley, 2005). ISBN 0-520-24263-7 - Afsaneh Najmabadi, editor, Bibi Khanum Astarabadi's Ma'ayib al-Rijal: Vices of Men (Midland Printers, Chicago, 1992).
- Hasan Javadi, Manijeh Marashi, and Simin Shekrloo, editors, Ta'dib al-Nisvan va Ma'ayib al-Rijal [Disciplining of Women and Vices of Men] (Jahan Books, Maryland, 1992).
See also
- Forough AzarakhshiForough AzarakhshiForough Āzarakhsh'i , Iran) established the first elementary and secondary schools for girls in the religious city of Mashhad, Iran, of which the former became known as "Forough's School" ....
- Farrokhroo PārsāFarrokhroo ParsaFarokhroo Pārsā, was an Iranian physician, educator and parliamentarian. She served as Minister of Education of Iran in the last pre-Islamic revolution government and was the first female cabinet minister of an Iranian government....
- Iranian womenIranian womenIranian women in this article refers to women of, or from, traditional Persian or modern Iranian culture.-Depictions and appearance:...
- Persian Constitutional Revolution
- Intellectual movements in IranIntellectual movements in IranIntellectual movements in Iran involve the Iranian experience of modernity and its associated art, science, literature, poetry, and political structures that have been changing since the 19th century.- History of Iranian modernity :...
- Persian women's movementPersian women's movementThis article is primarily about the women's movement. For information about women in Iranian/Persian culture, please see Iranian women..The Iranian women's movement involves the movement for women's rights and women's equality in Iran. The movement first emerged some time after the Iranian...
- One Million SignaturesOne Million SignaturesOne Million Signatures for the Repeal of Discriminatory Laws , also known as Change for Equality, is a campaign by women in Iran to collect one million signatures in support of changing discriminatory laws against women in their country.Activists of the movement...
External links
- Ebrahim Nabavi, Bibi Khanom and the Unknown Prince (بی بی خانم و شاهزاده گمنام), BBC Persian, Wednesday 26 July 2006 (BBC Persian).
- The School for Girls (مدرسه دوشيزگان). A programme celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Constitutional Revolution of Iran with an interview with Dr Mah-Laghā Mallah (دكتر مه لقا ملاح), maternal granddaughter of Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi, 11 August 2006 (Deutsche Welle). At the time of interview, Dr Mallah is 90 years old.
- Bibi Khanom Astarabadi (Gorgani), A short biography of Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi (in Persian), containing some transcribed material from the above-mentioned interview with Deutsche Welle of Dr Mah-Laghā Mallah (Shomaliha.com).