Moshtari Khanum
| Moshtari Khanum | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1786 Shiraz, Zand Iran |
| Died | c. 1883 (aged 97) Tehran, Qajar Iran |
| Spouse | Fath-Ali Shah Qajar |
| Issue |
|
| Persian | (مشتری باجی) مشتری خانم |
| Dynasty | Qajar (by marriage) |
| Occupation | Musician, Singer, and Dancer |
Moshtari Khanum (Persian: مشتری خانم; c. 1786 – c. 1883), also known as Moshtari Baji (Persian: مشتری باجی) was one of the consorts of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. She was a musician, singer, and dancer in the Shah’s court. She gave birth to twelve of the Shah's children, seven of whom lived to adulthood.
Early life
In about 1786, she was born in Shiraz, Fars province, Zand Iran to an artist family.[1][2][3]
Marriage
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar in 52 years starting from his puberty until death married many times such that only God knows the number of his wives. The selection process mostly was that a number of his confidants were sent to various locations in Iran to select girls who had a pretty face and a silver body, i.e., a white, glowing, and beautiful body, from every religion and ethnicity and bring them to the Shah's court. These wives include the ones from noble and renowned families, the well-known skillful artists, and other lesser known or unknown artists and servants. Moshtari Khanum was among the well-known skillful artists who married the Shah in about 1803 as one of his temporary wives.[4]
Fath-Ali Shah's court
She was a musician, singer, and dancer in Fath-Ali Shah’s court. Her outstanding voice could be heard from the Qajar Palace, located at around three kilometers from the court in the country's capital city of Tehran. On spring and summer nights, her pleasant voice was reaching the residents of the city, including the historian, Khavari, himself. In addition to her nice voice, Moshtari Khanum played the Setar beautifully, while dancing and making sweet moves to captivate and mesmerize the Shah.[2][3]
About her voice, Khavari wrote that: "Moshtari Khanum's pleasant voice brings the memory of the Davidic voice and puts the reputation of the nightingale with one thousand tales on the shelf of forgetfulness."[5]
Shah's last trip
Every time Fath-Ali Shah was preparing to go on a trip, while he was wearing his boots and pants, Moshtari Khanum had to be singing to him.
In 1834, at the beginning of the Shah's last trip, in which he was travelling to Isfahan, she sang this verse to the Shah in Farsi that can be interpreted as: "You traveled and all the good ones pulled out their hair; due to your departure, surprisingly dynasties fell apart." The Shah perceived the verse as a bad omen, severely influenced by it, and said: "We are from God and we will return to Him." Coincidently, the Shah died in the same trip.[6]
Children
Moshtari Khanum gave birth to twelve children of Fath-Ali Shah, five of which died in childhood.[7] Their remaining seven children are listed below in an interactive sortable table (sorted by birthdate). The table's denotations are:
- S: Son
- D: Daughter
| No. | S/D | Name | Title | Birth | Death | Spouse(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | Habbeh Nabat Khanum | c. 1804 | Amir Kabir Mirza Mohammad Khan | Mohammad Khan was a son of Hossein-Qoli Khan (Fath-Ali Shah's brother). She was his second wife; they separated.[7][8] | ||
| 2 | D | Pasha Khanum | c. 1806 | Sohrab Khan Gorji | Sohrab Khan was Fath-Ali Shah's treasurer. She was his second wife.[7][5][3][9] | ||
| 3 | S | Mohammad Mehdi Mirza | Zargam-ol-Molk | 1808 |
|
[10][11] | |
| 4 | D | Farzaneh Beigom Khanum | c. 1817 | Hossein-Ali Khan Moayyer-ol-Mamalek | She married in 1833. Hossein-Ali Khan (1798-1858) was in the mint industry, i.e. coin manufacturer.[7][5][12] | ||
| 5 | S | Mohammad Amin Mirza | 1819 | 1886 | Mohammad Amin Mirza was the governor of the following cities: | ||
| 6 | D | Mehr Jahan Khanum | Zein-ol-Abedin Khan Yuz Bashi | Zeinol Abedin Khan was a commander of 100 cavalrymen and son of Ghasem Hezar Jaribi (the head of servants).[7][5] | |||
| 7 | S | Mohammad Hadi Mirza | 1832 | 1897 | [10][11][14] |
Death
She lived a very happy life; and even in later years, joyfulness was apparent from her face. No one ever saw her sad or depressed. She lived nearly 97 years and died in about 1883.[15]
Notes
- ^ Azodi 1887, p. 50.
- ^ a b Khavari 1845, p. 412 v. 2.
- ^ a b c Bamdad 1978, p. 322 v. 5.
- ^ Khavari 1845, pp. 393 and 412 v. 2.
- ^ a b c d Khavari 1845, p. 390 v. 2.
- ^ Azodi 1887, pp. 50–51.
- ^ a b c d e Azodi 1887, p. 332.
- ^ Khavari 1845, p. 389 v. 2.
- ^ Kondo 2017, p. 62.
- ^ a b c Azodi 1887, pp. 237 and 332.
- ^ a b c Khavari 1845, p. 355 v. 2.
- ^ Bamdad 1978, pp. 253 v. 6 and 433 v. 1.
- ^ Bamdad 1978, p. 301 v. 3.
- ^ Bamdad 1978, p. 253 v. 6.
- ^ Azodi 1887, pp. 10 and 50.
References
- Azodi, Ahmad Mirza Azdo-Dowleh (1887). تاریخ عضدی [Azodi History] (in Persian). Maharat. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
- Bamdad, Mehdi (1978). شرح حال رجال ایران در قرن ۱۲ و ۱۳ و ۱۴ هجری [Biographies of Iranian Elites in 17-20th Centuries] (in Persian). Zavvar. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- Khavari, Mirza Fazlollah Shirazi (1845). Tarikh Zol Qarnein (تاریخ ذوالقرنین) (in Persian). Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran.
- Kondo, Nobuaki (2017). Islamic Law and Society in Iran: A Social History of Qajar Tehran. Routledge. ISBN 978-1351783194.