Shams Pahlavi
Encyclopedia
Princess Shams ul-Mulk Pahlavi Persian
:شمس پهلوی (born October 18, 1917 in Tehran
, Iran
- died February 29, 1996 in Santa Barbara, California
, USA) was the elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
, the last Shah
of Iran. During her family's reign, she was the president of the Red Lion and Sun Society
.
During a tour of Europe
in 1936, she was received together with her mother and sister in Berlin
by Adolf Hitler
, as the family of the Shah of Iran was considered friendly to Germany. Iran was regarded for many decades as a close ally of Germany
, from whom it received much needed technical support for industrialization, transportation and aviation.
She married Feridoun Jam
, son of the then prime minister of Iran, Mahmud Jam
, under the strict orders of her father, but the marriage was an unhappy one and the couple divorced immediately after the death of Reza Shah
.
Following the deposition of Reza Shah
after the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
in 1941, Shams accompanied her father during his exile to Port Louis
, Mauritius
, and later Johannesburg
, South Africa
, and published her memoir of this trip in monthly instalments in the Ettela'at
newspaper in 1948.
She was deprived of her ranks and titles for a brief period of time after her second marriage to Mehrdad Pahlbod, and lived in the United States from 1945 to 1947. Later, however, a reconciliation with the court was achieved and the couple returned to Tehran
, only to leave again during the upheavals of the Abadan Crisis
. She converted to Roman Catholicism in the 1940s. Her husband and children adopted Catholicism after her.
After returning to Iran following the 1953 coup which re-established the rule of her brother, she maintained a low public profile, contrary to that of her sister Princess Ashraf Pahlavi
, and confined her activities to the management of the vast fortune she had inherited from her father.
In the late 1960s she commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation architects to build her the Morvarid Palace
in Mehrshahr
near Karaj
, and Villa Mehrafarin in Chalous, Mazandaran.
She left Iran for the United States after the Islamic Revolution and died of cancer in her Santa Barbara
estate in 1996.
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Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
:شمس پهلوی (born October 18, 1917 in Tehran
Tehran
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...
, Iran
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...
- died February 29, 1996 in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, USA) was the elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
, the last Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
of Iran. During her family's reign, she was the president of the Red Lion and Sun Society
Red Lion and Sun Society
The Red Lion and Sun Society of Iran was established in 1922 and admitted to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in 1923...
.
During a tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1936, she was received together with her mother and sister in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, as the family of the Shah of Iran was considered friendly to Germany. Iran was regarded for many decades as a close ally of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, from whom it received much needed technical support for industrialization, transportation and aviation.
She married Feridoun Jam
Feridoun Jam
Feridoun Jam , was a senior Iranian army official and the son of former Iranian prime minister Mahmud Jam. He married Princess Shams in 1937 and was later divorced after death of Reza Shah on 1944. Jam served as head of the Iranian Imperial Army Corps from 1969 to 1971...
, son of the then prime minister of Iran, Mahmud Jam
Mahmud Jam
Mahmoud Jam was a Prime Minister of Iran from 1935 to 1939.Born in Tabriz, he began his political career as a French-Persian translator, and climbed his way up to Prime Minister....
, under the strict orders of her father, but the marriage was an unhappy one and the couple divorced immediately after the death of 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...
.
Following the deposition of 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...
after the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran was the Allied invasion of the Imperial State of Iran during World War II, by British, Commonwealth, and Soviet armed forces. The invasion from August 25 to September 17, 1941, was codenamed Operation Countenance...
in 1941, Shams accompanied her father during his exile to Port Louis
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, and later Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and published her memoir of this trip in monthly instalments in the Ettela'at
Ettela'at
- Incidents :On January 6, 1978 a slanderous article appeared in Ettela'at suggesting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was a homosexual and a serving British agent. The next day, clerics in Qom protested and the police demanded they disperse. When they refused, police opened fire and at least twenty...
newspaper in 1948.
She was deprived of her ranks and titles for a brief period of time after her second marriage to Mehrdad Pahlbod, and lived in the United States from 1945 to 1947. Later, however, a reconciliation with the court was achieved and the couple returned to Tehran
Tehran
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...
, only to leave again during the upheavals of the Abadan Crisis
Abadan Crisis
The Abadan Crisis occurred from 1951 to 1954, after Iran nationalised the Iranian assets of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and expelled Western companies from oil refineries in the city of Abadan .-Prelude:...
. She converted to Roman Catholicism in the 1940s. Her husband and children adopted Catholicism after her.
After returning to Iran following the 1953 coup which re-established the rule of her brother, she maintained a low public profile, contrary to that of her sister Princess Ashraf Pahlavi
Ashraf Pahlavi
Princess Ashraf ul-Mulki Pahlavi , is the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran and the Pahlavi Dynasty. She currently resides in Paris, France. Princess Ashraf is the oldest living member of her family...
, and confined her activities to the management of the vast fortune she had inherited from her father.
In the late 1960s she commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation architects to build her the Morvarid Palace
Morvarid palace
Pearl Palace Pearl Palace Pearl Palace (kakh-e Morvarid in Persian, also known as kahk-e Shams - (كاخ مرواريد ( شمس) is a large estate designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation on instructions from Shams Pahlavi, elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran...
in Mehrshahr
Mehrshahr
Mehrshahr is an area located south-west of Karaj city, in Alborz province, Iran. The word Mehrshahr is composed of Mehr meaning sun or love, and Shahr meaning city; suggesting Mehrshahr to mean the city of sun or love...
near Karaj
Karaj
Karaj is a city in and the capital of Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,377,450, in 385,955 families, , making it the fifth-largest city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tabriz.) It is situated west of Tehran, at the foothills of the Alborz...
, and Villa Mehrafarin in Chalous, Mazandaran.
She left Iran for the United States after the Islamic Revolution and died of cancer in her Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
estate in 1996.
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