Tadj ol-Molouk of Iran (born Nimtaj Ayromlou, 17 March 1896 -10 March 1982) was the daughter of General Teymūr Khan Ayromlou, and the Queen Consort

Queen consort

A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...

 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...

, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty

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 ...

 and Shah

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 ...

 of 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...

 between 1915 and 1941. The title she was given after becoming Queen means "Crown of the King" in the Persian language

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...

. Her family were Ayrums; a sub-ethnic group of Azeris from the Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...

 who arrived in Iran in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Soon after arriving in Iran, some Ayrums became Iranian generals, notably her first cousin General Muhammad-Husayn Ayrom, but most others were to settle as nobility. A few Ayrum women, namely herself and Noushafarin Ayromlou (her mother-in-law), were to become royalty.

Biography

Nimtaj Ayromlou was the first Queen of Iran to have played a public role, and to have performed an official position out in public society. She played an important part in the abolition of the veil in Iran during the reign of her husband. In the winter of 1934, Reza Shah demanded the presence of the Queen and the two princesses in an official ceremony at the Tehran Teacher's College. All three were present at this ceremony and were dressed in Western

Western culture

Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...

 clothes, without a veil. This was the first time an Iranian Queen showed herself in public. Afterwards, the Shah had pictures of his wife and daughters published; other men were ordered to unveil their wives and daughters. With this, the veil was abolished. Her spouse was deposed in 1941.

Queen Nimtaj had four children: Shams Pahlavi

Shams Pahlavi

Princess Shams ul-Mulk Pahlavi Persian:شمس پهلوی was the elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran...

, 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 of Iran, and his twin sister Ashraf

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 Ali Reza Pahlavi I

Ali Reza Pahlavi I

Ali Reza Pahlavi was Reza Shah Pahlavi's second son, and the brother of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Following Reza Shah's deposition and exile, Ali Reza accompanied his father into exile in Mauritius and then into Johannesburg, South Africa...

.

She died in Acapulco

Acapulco

Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...

 (Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

) after a lengthy battle with leukemia

Leukemia

Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...

 seven days before her 86th birthday.

See also

• Ayrums
• Azeris
• Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
  
  
• General Teymūr Khan Ayromlou
• General Muhammad-Husayn Ayrom
• Reza Shah Pahlavi

Succession