Order of Zolfaghar
Encyclopedia
The Order of Zolfaghar was a military order of Imperial Persia and Iran
named after Zulfiqar
, "Spine-cleaver", the famous sword of the Caliph
Ali
, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad
. Founded as the "Portrait of the Commander of Faithful" by Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in 1856 to commemorate the recapture of Herat
, Reza Shah
, the penultimate Shah of Iran
, renamed it the "Order of Zolfaghar" in 1925 and made it an exclusively military order. The original order consisted of a 5 pointed star with an enameled portrait of Imam Ali in the center and two Zolfaghar swards crossed behind the star among multiple rays. The order consisted of 3 classes: The first class consisted of a sash along with the badge; the second class consisted of a neck badge and collar and the third class was a medal.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
named after Zulfiqar
Zulfiqar
Zulfiqar "bifurcated" is the sword of the Islamic leader Ali. In Arabic the name is commonly transliterated as Dhu al-Fiqar, Thulfeqar, Dhulfiqar, Zoulfikar etc. The name Zulfiqar means which divides exactly in two parts....
, "Spine-cleaver", the famous sword of the Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. Founded as the "Portrait of the Commander of Faithful" by Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in 1856 to commemorate the recapture of Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
, Reza Shah
Reza Shah
Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar...
, the penultimate Shah of Iran
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
, renamed it the "Order of Zolfaghar" in 1925 and made it an exclusively military order. The original order consisted of a 5 pointed star with an enameled portrait of Imam Ali in the center and two Zolfaghar swards crossed behind the star among multiple rays. The order consisted of 3 classes: The first class consisted of a sash along with the badge; the second class consisted of a neck badge and collar and the third class was a medal.