The history of the Iranian Pahlavi imperial house is as relevant as ever. Reza Shah. Cossack on the Peacock Throne of Persia Reza Khan Pahlavi biography

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi(Persian محمدرضا پهلوی‎, Mohammadrezā Pahlavī; 1919, Tehran - 1980, Cairo) - the last Shah of Iran (September 16, 1941 - February 11, 1979). Full title - His Imperial Majesty Shahanshah Aryamehr. Shahinshah in Persian means "King of Kings", Aryamehr - "Sun of the Aryans".

Under Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the westernization of Iran intensified, steps were taken towards the equality of women, which caused opposition from the broad masses of the people and the Muslim Shiite clergy. The shah himself tried to break with many Islamic traditions, even for a short time introduced the reckoning not from the Hijra, but from the beginning of the Achaemenid dynasty (1976 from the birth of Christ was declared by him instead of 1355 of the Hijra as 2595 of the Shahinshah power); soon, however, he was forced to cancel this unpopular innovation. In 1973, an authoritarian one-party regime was established in Iran, all citizens were ordered to belong to the ruling party, and all other public associations were banned; A secret police was also established.

The Islamic Revolution of 1979 overthrew the Shah, who was forced into exile and died in exile in Cairo the following year. On the wave of reaction against the reforms of the last shahs, Islamic fundamentalists led by Ayatollah Khomeini came to power.

Biography

Mohammed Reza was born on October 26, 1919 in Tehran in the family of Colonel Reza Khan, then the commander of the Persian Cossack brigade, and later the commander-in-chief of the Iranian armed forces and the Minister of War. At the end of 1925, Reza Khan deposed Ahmed Shah Qajar and proclaimed himself the Shah of Iran, adopting the surname Pahlavi for his dynasty.

In 1925-1930, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi studied at the Persian Cadet Corps, then at the boarding school Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, in 1936-1938 - at the officers' school in Tehran.

World War II and beginning of reign

In September 1941, after the occupation of Iran by British and Soviet troops and the abdication and exile of his father Reza Pahlavi, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was proclaimed Shahinshah of Iran and, together with the government, expressed a desire to cooperate with Great Britain and the USSR, signing an alliance treaty with them in 1942. On September 9, 1943, the Shah declared war on Nazi Germany by decree. In 1946, Soviet troops were withdrawn from northern Iran.

At first, the shah interfered little in governing the country, the government was accountable to the Majlis. The Shah himself was considered an inexperienced and indecisive ruler. The situation began to change after the unsuccessful assassination attempt on the Shah on February 4, 1949. During the Shah's visit to a solemn ceremony at the University of Tehran, Fakhr-Aray shot at him from a distance of three meters, but the Shah was only slightly wounded in the cheek. Fakhr-Aray was shot dead on the spot by the officers. Martial law was introduced in Iran. The Iranian People's Party, to which the killer belonged, was outlawed, and opposition figures were arrested. In 1949, the Constituent Assembly approved changes to the constitution, giving the Shah greater powers to govern the state, including the power to dissolve the Majlis.

Political crisis of the early 1950s

After the Second World War, a sharp struggle for influence in Iran flared up between Great Britain, which occupied a dominant position there, and the United States, which were striving to oust it. Negotiations began on the division of the profits of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company between British shareholders and Iran. At the same time, calls began in Iran for the nationalization of the oil industry. In March 1951, Prime Minister Ali Razmara spoke out against nationalization, four days later he was shot dead while leaving the mosque.

In April 1951, the Shah appointed Mohammed Mosaddegh, who advocated nationalization, as prime minister, and on May 1 signed the law on the nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, after it was unanimously passed by the Majlis. After nationalization, oil production practically stopped due to the departure of British specialists and the oil embargo imposed by Britain. On July 16, 1952, after Mossadegh demanded emergency powers for himself and the subordination of the army to him, the Shah dismissed him. This caused a general strike and an uprising in Tehran. On July 22, 1952, the Shah was forced to appoint Mosaddegh as prime minister again.

In October 1952, Mossadegh's government severed relations with Britain. In February 1953, Mossadegh invited the Shah to leave Iran, stating that the monarch should reign, not govern. At the same time, the British succeeded in gaining American support for the overthrow of Mossadegh by agreeing to share the oil profits with them. The planned coup was called Operation Ajax. On August 16 - 18, the shah was in temporary exile in Baghdad (Iraq), on August 18 - 22 - in Rome (Italy). In August 1953, the military associated with the throne, led by General F. Zahedi, with the Anglo-American support, carried out a coup d'état and overthrew the government of Mossadegh's National Front. Since then, the entire power in the country has actually passed into the hands of the Shah.

On September 19, 1954, the Iranian government signed an agreement with the International Petroleum Consortium (approved by the Majlis on October 21). Under this agreement, 95% of the shares of the International Petroleum Consortium (abbreviated IOC) belong to 8 companies: 40% from the former AIOC, renamed British Petroleum; 14% from the Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell; 35% for the American Big Five (Standard Oil of New Jersey, Sokoni Mobil Oil, Standard Oil of California, Texaco, Gulf Oil Corporation) and 6% for the French Company Francaise depetrol." Iran received 50% of the net profit. The term of the agreement is determined for 25 years - until the end of 1979 with a subsequent extension until 1994. The agreement actually eliminated the 1951 decree on the nationalization of the oil industry.

In 1957, with the assistance of the CIA and Mossad, the secret political police SAVAK was created.

Iranian foreign policy

Mohammed Reza and US President Richard Nixon with Patricia Nixon.

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi at Niavaran Palace.

In 1957, Iran declared Bahrain, a former British colony, its territory. In 1971, after a referendum was held in Bahrain, in which the majority of the population voted for independence from Great Britain, but also against joining Iran, a new state was formed with which Iran established diplomatic relations.

1960s-1970s

In 1960-1970. Significant changes have taken place in Iran's foreign policy and fundamentally new directions have appeared. First, the Shah dramatically expanded the scale of economic cooperation with the socialist countries. This was due to the unwillingness of the West to contribute to the construction of Iran's basic industries; more favorable conditions for foreign economic cooperation with the CMEA; Tehran's striving for an advantageous balancing act between the two opposing systems, allowing for a more independent foreign policy; an attempt to provide Iran with rears on its northern borders in the event of a conflict in the Persian Gulf; hopes to neutralize the influence of Baghdad on the formation of Soviet policy in the Middle East. The main object of Soviet-Iranian cooperation was the Isfahan Metallurgical Plant. Of great importance for both countries was the “deal of the century” on the supply of Iranian gas to the Transcaucasus via the Trans-Iranian gas pipeline and a similar amount of Siberian gas to Western Europe under Iranian-European contracts, which opened a “window to Europe” for Tehran. In parallel with the Soviet-Iranian cooperation, Iran's relations with the countries of Eastern Europe developed, especially with Romania, which had excessive capacities for the production of oil-producing equipment.

Imperial Standard of Shahanshah Aryamehr

Secondly, Tehran took an active part in the creation of OPEC and the struggle of oil-producing countries to establish equal relations with the industrialized countries of the West and, above all, to increase oil prices and increase payments for the right to extract it. In 1973, all the property of the IOC was transferred to the Iranian National Oil Company (INOC) with a guarantee of oil supplies to the IOC for 20 years and deductions by the latter to Tehran of 60% of the amount of profits. As a result of rising oil prices and contributions from IOCs to INOCs, Iran's oil revenues rose from $2.4 billion in 1972 to $20 billion in 1974.

Thirdly, not only pro-imperialist, but also imperialist features appear in the Shah's foreign policy, supported by the rapid growth of Iran's military potential (military spending increased 20 times in the 1970s), plans to establish Iran's control over the "kerosene barrel" of the planet - Persian Gulf, which would put the world capitalist economy in a certain dependence on Tehran. Having created the world's strongest hovercraft fleet, the most advanced air defense missile system in the third world, surpassing all NATO members except the United States in terms of air force and helicopter fleet, Iran achieved overwhelming control over the most important transport oil artery of the world - the Strait of Hormuz. Seeking a presence on the other side of the Strait, the Shah intervened in the internal conflict in Oman and sent his troops against the guerrilla movement in that sultanate. Tehran has developed tense relations with the rest of the Arab states. The Shah made great efforts to maintain friendly relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan, as he was afraid of Baloch separatism.

The Shah crowning Empress Farah in a coronation ceremony in 1967

December 1, 1971, after the withdrawal of British troops from the Persian Gulf and the formation of the United Arab Emirates, Iranian troops occupied three islands in the Strait of Hormuz: Abu Musa, Tombe Bozorg and Tombe Kuchek under the pretext that these islands were Iranian territory before the arrival of the British (Anglo-Iranian negotiations and protests by some Arab countries on this issue continued until October 1972).

The Shah supported the monarchies of the Persian Gulf. During the civil war in Yemen (1962-1970), Iran supported the monarchists. A similar policy was pursued in Oman, where an expeditionary force was sent in 1973, which played an important role in suppressing the anti-monarchist guerrilla movement there in the province of Dhofar.

The shah maintained friendly relations with the USSR. Mohammed Reza visited the USSR three times in 1956, 1965 and 1972.

In 1963, 1966 and 1972, agreements were concluded between the USSR and Iran on cooperation in the economic and technical spheres, the construction of various industrial facilities, etc.

Mohammed Reza was the first Muslim leader to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, which used the radical Muslim clergy to criticize the Shah as "an accomplice of Zionist politics."

Quite tense relations were maintained with Iraq. In 1975, the Algiers Agreement was signed with Saddam Hussein. The conflict, however, turned into open war only after the overthrow of the Shah, when the revolution and repression weakened the Iranian army so much that Saddam Hussein decided to attack Iran (see Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)).

The internal policy of the Shah and a series of radical reforms

Shah distributes land

In 1963, the Shah launched a major program of radical economic and social reforms, known as the "White Revolution". Initially, the program included 6 points, later 13 more were added to them. The program included a land reform, during which the government, using income from oil exports, bought land plots from landowners and sold them to peasants who worked them at a price 30% below the market in installments. By 1970, 1.2 million peasant families (about half of all Iranian peasants) had received land. Forests and pastures were nationalized. Industrialization unfolded, with the assistance of the state, modern metallurgical, machine-building, petrochemical, automotive, shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing enterprises were built. At the same time, part of the state-owned enterprises was nationalized with the spread of worker participation programs in profits.

The radical reforms aroused the opposition of the broad masses of the people and the Muslim Shiite clergy. The shah himself tried to break with many Islamic traditions, even briefly introduced the chronology not from the Hijra, but from the beginning of the Achaemenid dynasty (1976 AD was declared by him instead of 1355 Hijri as 2535 the year of Shahinshah power); he was soon forced to cancel this unpopular innovation. In 1973, an authoritarian one-party regime was established in Iran, all citizens were ordered to belong to the ruling party, and all other public associations were prohibited.

Exile and death of the Shah (1979-1980)

The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran overthrew the Shah and he left the country. On the wave of reaction against the reforms of the last shahs, Islamic fundamentalists led by Ayatollah Khomeini came to power.

Initially, Mohammed Reza went to Egypt, then lived in exile in Morocco, the Bahamas and Mexico. The Islamic authorities of Iran demanded his extradition, meanwhile, the former monarch's health deteriorated. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The arrival of Mohammed Reza for treatment in the United States caused in November 1979 the seizure of the American embassy in Iran by Muslim extremists and an acute international crisis. The deposed Shah left the United States and moved to Panama and then back to Egypt, where he received emergency medical care, including a splenectomy performed by Dr. Michael DeBakey, but still died from complications of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) on July 27, 1980 , at the age of 60 years. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat declared national mourning and ordered a state funeral. Anwar Sadat, Richard Nixon and Constantine II, King of Greece, took part in the funeral procession through Cairo next to the Pahlavi family. The last Shahinshah of Iran was buried in the Cairo al-Rifai mosque next to his brother-in-law, the penultimate king of Egypt and Sudan, Farouk I.

The resting place of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the Cairo mosque al-Rifai

Interestingly, while in exile, Mohammed Reza hoped to get refuge in England. The Queen of England believed that Britain should not deny him this, given his many years of support for British interests in the Middle East. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher spoke sympathetically of the Shah, who, in her opinion, was "a reliable and useful friend of Great Britain." However, the Board of the Foreign Office decided that it would be politically incorrect to allow him to settle in England, as it would have a negative impact on British relations with the new Islamic Republic. Former British Ambassador to Iran Denis Wright was entrusted with a special mission - to meet incognito in one of the Bahamas with the Shah and convince him to accept the decision of the British government (the Thatcher government did not want to be in a situation where the Shah would have to be denied entry at the border), - with which Denis Wright successfully coped. Nothing could dispel the bitter disappointment of the Shah in this regard.

Family

Was married three times. His first wife was the Egyptian princess Fawzia, daughter of King Fuad I of Egypt. Mohammed Reza's second wife Soreya Esfandiyari (of half German descent) was one of the most famous women of her time. The shah divorced his first two wives, as he had no sons from them. The Shah and his first wife Fawzia had a daughter, Shahnaz.

The third wife of the Shah, Farah Diba, an Azerbaijani from Tabriz, who bore him two sons and two daughters, was crowned Shahban (Empress) of Iran in 1967. His eldest son Reza Kir Pahlavi, named after King Cyrus of Persia, after the death of his father is the head of the Pahlavi house and heir to the non-existent Iranian Shah throne. The youngest son of Ali Reza Pahlavi committed suicide on January 4, 2011 with a gunshot in his home in Boston.

Awards

Iran - Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Persia (1926)
Iran - Grand Chain of the Pahlavi Order (1932)
Egypt - Chain of the Order of Muhammad Ali (1939)
United Kingdom - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) (1942)
Czechoslovakia - Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion (1943)
France - Military Cross with Palme (1945)
Republic of China - Grand Cordon of the Order of the Propitious Clouds (1946)
USA - Order of the Legion of Honor of the degree of commander in chief (1947)
Vatican - Knight of the Order of the Golden Spur (1948)
UK - Royal Victorian Chain (RVC) (1948)
Iran - Grand Cordon of the Order of the Zulfiqar (1949)
Jordan - Chain of the Order of Hussein ibn Ali (1949)
Jordan - Grand Ribbon of the Order of the Renaissance (1949)
Saudi Arabia - Order of King Abdulaziz, 1st class (1955)
Germany - Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Special Class (1955)
Lebanon - Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit (1956)
Spain - Grand Chain of the Order of the Yarm and Arrows (1957)
Italy - Grand Cross decorated with a large ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1957)
Libya - Grand Cordon of the Order of Idris I (1958)
Japan - Chain of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (1958)
Austria - Big Star of Honor (1958)
Denmark - Knight of the Order of the Elephant (1959)
Netherlands - Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (1959)
Pakistan - Order of Pakistan, 1st class (1959)
Nepal - Order of Ojaswi Rajanya (1960)
Greece - Grand Cross of the Order of the Savior (1960)
Belgium - Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold I (1960)
Norway - Grand Cross on the Chain of the Order of St. Olaf (1961)
Ethiopia - Grand Chain of the Order of Solomon (1964)
Afghanistan - Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sun of Liberty (1965)
UAR - Grand Chain of the Order of the Nile (1965)
Argentina - Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator of San Martin (1965)
Tunisia - Grand Chain of the Order of the Liberation (1965)
Brazil - Grand Chain of the Order of the Southern Cross (1965)
Morocco - Grand Cordon of the Order of Mohammed (1966)
Bahrain - Order of al-Khalifa (1966)
Qatar - Order of Liberation (1966)
Saudi Arabia - Order of the Great Badr (1966)
Sudan - Chain of the Order of Honor (1966)
Yugoslavia - Order of the Great Yugoslav Star (1966)
Sweden - Order of the Seraphim (1967) (Knight-1960)
Malaysia - Order of the Crown of Malaysia (DMN) (1968)
Thailand - Knight of the Order of Chakri (1968)
Finland - Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland (1970)
Oman - Military Order of Oman, 1st class (1973)
Spain - Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos III (1975)
Mexico - Chain of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (1975)

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in art

Check on the money

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah from 1941 to 1979, has been featured on all Iranian banknotes in all issues since the 1944 issue. His portraits on money reflected his age and changed: first they grew up, then they grew old along with him.

Obverse: 5 and 500 rials, 1944

20 rials 1951 and 10 rials 1954

Obverse: 200 rials 1958 and 500 rials 1962

500 rials 1969 and 1000 rials arr. 1974

Fighting the Shah after the Islamic Revolution

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, the new Islamic power of the image of the Shah, which was depicted on all banknotes of Iran, sealed with one (portrait) or two (portrait and watermark) crosses, usually with red paint.

Overprints of 1979 for 20 and 50 rials arr. 1974

Overprints of 1979 for 100 and 5000 rials arr. 1974

"Zapatchka" 1979/1980

Then, in 1980, the mere crossing out of the detested new power of the “Westernizer” Shah was deemed insufficient. The image of Pahlavi on banknotes was covered with an "artistic" frilly black pattern, repeating his silhouette. This was considered expedient, since the Central Bank of Iran had large stocks of printed, but not put into circulation, banknotes of the 1974 model.

Obverse: 100 and 200 rials overprinted 1979-1980

500 and 1000 rials overprinted 1980 1000 1979 and 50 1980 with special cancellation stamp 1982

“With power, with money, with the crown,
The fate of people tosses like kittens.
Well, how did we miss the place of the Shah?! -
Our descendants will not forgive us for this.

The Shah signed in complete incompetence.
Take it here and replace it!
Where to get? We have any second in Turkmenistan -
Ayatollah, and even Khomeini!”

(V.S. Vysotsky)

So what place of the Shah did Vladimir Semenovich sing about and who is this Ayatollah Khomeini?

Aircraft of the Voronezh Aviation Plant in 1972 lured the last Shah of Iran to our city, Voronezh was visited by Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Of course, he did not arrive alone, but accompanied by his wife, Shahin Farah, and a delegation of about 60 people. In those years, there was no newspaper that would not write about one of the most beautiful couples in the East ...
They wrote about his unthinkable state, about his dress uniform (which had more than two hundred and forty diamonds), about his love for aviation, and, of course, about his personal life and much more.

But first things first.

FROM BATTLE TO GENERAL. Reza Shah the Great

During the Russian-Persian war of 1828, a soldier-escort and a Georgian woman fled to Persia, and half a century later, on March 16, 1878, a boy was born in Alashta, a small village in northern Iran, who was destined to turn the course of Persian history.
Nasser ed Din Shah visited St. Petersburg and was delighted with the sight of the Russian Cossacks. At his request, Alexander II formed a Cossack Persian brigade. Nasser-ed Din-Shah, who belonged to the Turkic Qajar dynasty, did not know then that the brigade would bring up the one who would overthrow this very dynasty.
Reza Pahlavi grew up with his mother, his father died when the boy was not even a year old. In 1893, he entered the service as a batman to a Russian officer. In 1916, Reza himself became the commander of the Cossack brigade. He walked for the rest of his life in a Russian uniform, and the Cossacks-Old Believers (who served with him) called him "Tsar-Father".
On October 27, 1919, his son is born - Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the hero of our story.
February 1921. Reza Khan, leading a campaign of 2 thousand Cossacks against Tehran, organizes a military coup, removes the Qajar dynasty from power, eliminates Iran's political dependence on England and forces it to remove troops from Iranian territory.

Reza fought illiteracy, built highways, schools, railways, airports, built a university.
Prince Mohammed received an excellent education, studied in Switzerland. Meanwhile, his father Reza Khan, meanwhile, was carried away by the Aryan theory of Hitler, who came to power in 1933, and even ordered to call his country not Persia, but Iran, that is, the “country of the Aryans”.

Photo of the 1930s, women of Iran - without the veil:

LAWS OF EASTERN HOSPITALITY. Tehran-43

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was proclaimed Shahinshah at the age of 21.

In 1942, he signed an alliance treaty with Great Britain and the USSR, and in September 1943 he declared war on Germany.

I’ll add on my own, I was always amazed by this declaration of war against the Nazis precisely in 1943, when there was already a clear advantage in the direction of the Soviet Union. Before that, everyone, like hares, hid in the corners and waited, whose side to take. Okay, digressing from the topic.

During a meeting in Tehran of the Big Three, the young Shah met with F.-D. Roosevelt, W. Churchill and I. V. Stalin. Iosif Vissarionovich showed a high-class knowledge of diplomacy, although he should not understand the laws of oriental hospitality.

At the precisely appointed hour, Comrade Stalin visited the Shah of Iran, greeted him and had a long conversation with him, stressing that every guest should pay tribute to the host, visit him and thank him for his hospitality.
Questions of attention in general, and in the East in particular, have a certain meaning and significance. The Shah was then very young, he was fond of aviation and received a light aircraft as a gift from us. Stalin's personal visit to him further strengthened the friendly relations that subsequently existed for many years between our states. Indeed, it would seem an insignificant case, but in fact it is politics, and no small ...

The young monarch highly appreciated Soviet military equipment, especially combat aircraft, on which he himself flew no worse than first-class pilots, and declared "his sympathy for the Soviet Union and the Red Army." He, like Peter I, "cut a window to Europe", tried to make Iran one of the largest industrial powers in the world.

The changes in the country were grandiose: metallurgical and machine-building plants, petrochemical complexes, automobile enterprises. The foundations of shipbuilding and aircraft building were laid, and even steps were taken towards the creation of nuclear energy.

EGYPTIAN PRINCESS

The first wife of the Shah - Fawzia Fouad - was an Egyptian princess, the eldest daughter of the daughter of the Sultan of Egypt and Sudan Fuad I and his wife Nazi Sabri. Fabzia was born in Alexandria on 11/05/21. A representative of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. She became the first wife of the Iranian Shah. The wedding took place in Cairo, and after the honeymoon was re-held in Tehran. The marriage was fragile and not happy, it lasted from 1941 to 1945. After the birth of her daughter Shahnaz, Fawzia filed for divorce, after which she moved to Cairo.

However, the Iranian authorities legalized divorce only three years later, in 1948.
She remarried in 1949 to a distant relative - Colonel Ismail Hussein Shirin Bey - and became known as Fawziya Shirin. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, she was stripped of her royal privileges and titles and is still treated respectfully using her title. I understand that Fawzia is still alive.
Photo taken from here.(external reference)

SORAYA

Soraya Asfandiyari Bakhtiari (Soraya Esfandiary), the second wife of the Iranian Shah Reza Pahlavi, Soraya, the daughter of the leader of the Persian diaspora in Europe and his German wife Eva Karl, was born on June 22, 1932 in Isfahan. The eldest daughter of a representative of an old noble family has been accustomed to politics since childhood. My father was the ambassador to West Germany for a long time, my uncle is the leader of the constitutional movement in Iran.

The second wife became, as they say, the love of a lifetime. I completely agree with this. As you know, if a person does not get along with his personal life, he goes headlong into work. Shah, after the divorce, actively engaged in the transformation of the country. By the way, Soraya also enjoyed popular recognition and respect.

Soraya was nicknamed "the sad-eyed princess". After her divorce from the Shah, the princess tried herself in the cinema. As an actress, she took part in the Dino Di Laurentiis project. It was supposed that she would embody the image of the great Russian Empress Catherine on the screen, but the project failed.

Soraya Asfandiyari died in 2001 at the age of sixty-nine in her apartment in Paris under unclear circumstances.

Empress FARAH

Farah Diba (b. 1938), came from an old rich Azerbaijani family. Her great-grandfather was ambassador to Russia before the revolution. Farah was educated in Tehran and Paris. In her school years, she was fond of sports and even was the captain of the basketball team. Fluent in English, French, Farsi and some Azeri.

Iran finally got an heir to the throne. In total, Farah gave birth to four children: Reza Kir Pahlavi (1960), Farangiz Pahlavi (1963), Ali Reza Pahlavi (1966), Leila Pahlavi (1970).

The first and only of the three wives of Shah Farah received the title of Empress (Shahban). It was a sensation, at that time women in the East were not given such rights.

In the 1970s, the empress developed a stormy activity. While her husband revived the power of the country, using its huge oil reserves (and, by the way, achieved a lot in this direction), she managed the cultural part. With her participation, all historical values and Shah relics were returned to Iran, she founded the largest museum in Asia, fought for women's rights, and became a trendsetter. Wealthy Iranians sent their children to study in the West, ballet schools were popular.

At one time, Muslim Magomayev was fascinated by her: “Shahinya Farrakh was dazzling: chiseled features, Persian velvet eyes, a pearly smile... A real movie star. Her Majesty's visit to Baku was official, and she behaved within the strict protocol... There, in the palace, an incident happened to me, which, however, was forgiven. After the cavatina of Figaro, at the request of the Shah, I was taken to His Majesty. He flattered about the performance of Neapolitan songs. Having finished the conversation, I turned to move away from the Shah, and heard a restrained hum in the hall. According to etiquette, they do not leave the shah, but move away from him backing away. But no one warned me about this. Nevertheless, in the history of the Shah's palace, I, apparently, was the first to violate strict etiquette - I showed my back to the ruler of Iran.

VISIT TO VORONEZH

During the reign of Nikita Sergeevich, relations with Iran were difficult and wary.

A brilliant married couple was provided with a hotel, which is located at the intersection of streets and is popularly called "Steamboat" and "Ship". This hotel has always received only high-ranking guests of the city.

Says the former commandant of the hotel:

“During the visit of the Shah, I was appointed commandant of the mansion on Karl Marx Street. The operational staff of our department and representatives of the Moscow 9th department of the KGB of the USSR carried out the necessary preparatory measures. All security measures have been taken. However, this time, we ran into additional problems. The fact is that Mohammed's wife, Shahin Farrah, was almost all the time in the mansion. She was unwell, and she left the residence only four times: she was at an aircraft factory, at a concert at the Opera and Ballet Theatre, at the Yu.E. Shtukman and at a banquet in the Slavyansky restaurant (for some reason, the Shah was absent at the last event). The rest of the time, the shahinya was in the apartments of the residence. She hardly went outside, spending time surrounded by servants. We were given the command not to let any of the Soviet citizens near her. An exception was made only for the deputy chairman of the regional executive committee I.I. Razdymalin (responsible for receiving the delegation) and the chief sanitary doctor of the region V.A. Kamensky (who personally checked all the products brought to the residence these days). In addition to them, at the request of the shahini, a doctor was once delivered to the mansion, to whom, after examination and consultation, Farrakh presented a gold watch ... "

They had less than six years to rule...

Crash of a 2500 year old monarchy

The monarch-reformer was a serious competition to the country that "defeated" the Indians. Fortunately for them, the very rapid economic growth of the country (and the people, for the most part backward, do not have time to get used to and accept a new way of life) and the introduction of Western technologies and culture, naturally caused panic among ordinary Eastern citizens. Religion is all that remains of a familiar and familiar life for Muslim residents who do not want to accept modernization. And this was to America's advantage, Washington began to actively support the opposition, headed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who propagated that the Shah "sold his soul to the Western devil" and opposes the model of a pure pious people's Islamic state to the "depraved" and pro-Western Shah's regime.

Ayatollah Khomeini... A very interesting figure. A tough revolutionary who promotes religion (a paradox in fact). However, that's another story...

Mohammed was inspired by success and transformation and for a long time did not notice the clouds hanging over him. January 1978 arrived. In the holy Muslim city of Qom, the Shah's troops shot down a demonstration, the participants of which demanded the restriction of the Shah's power and a return to the laws of Islam, killing more than 70 people. For the opposition, this was a chance. The clergy organize mass demonstrations. True, they say that the army command offered Mohammed to deal with popular uprisings. To which Pahlavi replied: “I cannot reign on the blood of my subjects. Which country will I give to my son?” Mohammed Reza was no longer in control of the situation and was forced to leave the country on January 16, 1979 with his family. In February 1979, power in Iran passed into the hands of the clergy, headed by Ayatollah Khomeini (a religious leader who was then in exile in Paris), who proclaimed the creation of an "Islamic Republic". Everything that was done by the Shah was destroyed, and the development of the country was thrown back centuries ago.
Mohammed lived in Egypt, Morocco, the Bahamas and Mexico. The Islamic authorities of Iran demanded his extradition, and former friends shied away like a leper, fearing Khomeini's revenge.

The health of the former monarch deteriorated, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. The arrival of Mohammed Reza for treatment in the United States caused in November 1979 the seizure of the American embassy in Iran by Muslim extremists and an acute international crisis. The deposed Shah left the United States and moved to Panama, and then back to Egypt, where he died and was buried in the Cairo al-Rifai mosque.

DESCENDANTS

The eldest of the three sons of the monarch, Reza, went to America in 1978, even before the revolution. After graduating from the US Air Force Academy, he entered the political science department at Williams College. Then he graduated from the University of California. Now Reza Pahlavi lives in Maryland with his wife and three daughters. The Iranians call him "the Shahinshah in exile", or - the crown prince, that is, after 30 years, they do not believe the current government, or what?

"House with lions", or Shvanvich's hotel
...
Part 6 -
Part 7 -
Part 8 - The Last Shah of Iran (Ship Hotel)
Part 9 -
Part 10 -
Part 11 -
Part 12 -

REZA SHAH PAHLEVI

(1876- 1944) - since 1925 Shah of Iran, founder of the new Pahlavi dynasty, which replaced the Qajar dynasty.

As a result of two coups d'état in 1921, R. first became commander of a Cossack division, then, in May 1921, minister of war, in 1923 prime minister, and finally, in December 1925, shah of Iran.

Ruthlessly cracking down on the democratic movement, R. established a regime of bourgeois-landlord dictatorship in Iran. In the field of foreign policy, he at first strove for the independence of Iran. However, trying to realize this desire, he resorted to the help of the imperialist powers, which led to the further enslavement of the country.

Having deprived the English Shahinshah Bank of the right to issue in 1930, R. at the same time granted him a number of new benefits. In 1933, the R. government concluded a new, unfavorable for Iran, Anglo-Iranian agreement(see) on the issue of the oil concession.

In the last period of his rule, R. pursued, at the behest of foreign imperialists, a policy that was clearly hostile to the Soviet Union. The government of R. signed in 1937, together with Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan Saadabad Pact(cm.). In the same 1937, the R. government, contrary to Art. thirteen Soviet-Iranian Treaty of 1921(see), granted the American Delaware Company an oil concession in the eastern and northeastern parts of Iran. Only as a result of the persistent protests of the Soviet government was this concession annulled. Even before that, in 1935, the government of R. granted a concession in the region bordering the USSR to a Dutch firm, an offshoot of the oil concern Deterding, an ardent enemy of the USSR. In 1938 R. refused to conclude a new trade agreement with the USSR, which led to a sharp reduction in Soviet-Iranian trade. In the same 1938, the Iranian-German trade agreement, which was beneficial for Germany, was signed.

On the eve of World War II, R. finally subordinated his policy to German dictatorship, and after Hitler's attack on the USSR, although Iran formally declared its neutrality, R. did everything possible to turn Iran into a German springboard for attacking the USSR from the south. With the direct assistance of R., Hitler’s agents formed sabotage and terrorist groups on the territory of Iran for transfer to Soviet Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, created warehouses of weapons, explosives, etc. Counting on a quick victory for Germany, the Iranian reactionaries made plans to seize Soviet territory.

The Soviet government three times (26.VI, 19.VII and 16.VIII. 1941) drew the attention of the Iranian government to the danger posed by the espionage and sabotage activities of the Nazi agents. Nevertheless, R. continued his policy hostile to the Soviet Union. In view of this, the Soviet government on 25. VIII 1941, acting on the basis of Art. 6 of the Soviet-Iranian treaty of 1921, sent its troops into the territory of Iran for the purpose of self-defense. The UK has taken similar action.

In connection with the collapse of his anti-national policy R. was forced 16. IX 1941 to abdicate in favor of his son Mohammed Reza and leave the country. R. spent the last years of his life in South Africa under the auspices of the British authorities.

Diplomatic Dictionary. - M.: State publishing house of political literature. A. Ya. Vyshinsky, S. A. Lozovsky. 1948 .

See what "REZA-SHAH PAHLEVI" is in other dictionaries:

- رضا پهلوی ... Wikipedia

- (1878 1944), Shah of Iran in 1925-41, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. Abdicated the throne in September 1941. * * * REZA SHAH PAKHLAVI REZA SHAH PAKHLAVI (1878-1944), Shah of Iran in 1925-41, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. Abdicated in September 1941... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (1878 1944) Shah of Iran in 1925-41, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. Abdicated in September 1941... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

1. Shah of Iran (1878 1944), Shah of Iran. Born March 16, 1878 in Alesht, a small village in northern Iran, at birth he received the name Reza Khan. In his youth, he joined the cavalry brigade in Tehran, distinguished himself in many campaigns. February 21, 1921 in ... ... Collier Encyclopedia

Reza Shah Pahlavi- REZA SHAH PAKHLAVI (1878–1944), Shah of Iran in 1925–41, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. Abdicated on Sept. 1941 ... Biographical Dictionary

Shah of Iran (1925–41), founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. The son of an officer, a small landowner from Mazenderan. He began military service in the Persian Cossack brigade ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (16.III.1878 26.VII.1944) Shah of Iran (1925-41), founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. The son of an officer, a small landowner from Mazanderan. Military started. service in Persian Cossack brigade from the lower ranks. He headed the Cossack brigade, by February 24. 1921 made state. ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Reza Shah Pahlavi (Reza Khan)- (Reza Shah Pahlavi) (1878 1944), Shah of Iran (1925 1). An officer of the Persian cavalry brigade, came to power in the midst of those military. coup (1921) and soon established a military. dictatorship. Was consistently military. min. and prime min, under the previous regime. ... ... The World History

The future sovereign ruler of Iran, Reza Khan, was born in March 1878 in Savadkuh (Mazandaran) into a family of small landowners and hereditary military men. In 1891, at the age of 13, he began serving in the lower ranks of the Persian Cossack brigade - the best unit of the Iranian army at that time. And although he did not receive any education and was almost illiterate, his determination, strong will and desire to count and rely only on himself in everything helped him to quickly advance in the service. During the First World War, Reza Khan received several officer ranks, and by the beginning of 1921, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he commanded one of the regiments of the Cossack division.

Iran was going through a difficult time then. On the throne sat the weak Shah Ahmad from the Qajar dynasty, who did not enjoy any authority. His power was not actually recognized by anyone. Corruption and decay reigned in the state apparatus. Most of the Iranian provinces were under the rule of their khans and tribal leaders, who waged endless wars with each other. The south was occupied by the British. Iran was an underdeveloped state, entangled in unequal treaties imposed on the Shah by the great powers (primarily England). His entire financial life was under the control of the English Shahinshah Bank. Semi-feudal relations were maintained in the countryside, industry was in its infancy. The army, formed on the basis of recruitment, was no good. Soldiers and officers were unpaid for years and had very low morale. The role of the clergy was very important in public life.

Under these conditions, on February 21, 1921, units of the Cossack division under the command of Reza Khan entered the capital and carried out a coup d'état. The declaration issued on this occasion by Reza Khan said: “Our goal is to form ... a strong government that can create a powerful and respected army, since only a strong army can lead the country out of distress ... We want to form a government that will not become an instrument of foreign policy." Indeed, a new government was soon established, in which Reza Khan became Minister of War. But in fact, from the very beginning, he extended his influence also to civil administration. His personal qualities were the most conducive to the concentration of power. They write that Reza Khan had an impressive appearance and a piercing look, from which many felt uneasy. He knew life very well and understood people very well.

First of all, Reza Khan tried to put an end to the separatism of certain regions and the actual disintegration of the state into independent destinies. In 1921-1924, he made several lightning campaigns against the rulers of the outlying regions, defeated their independent troops and significantly strengthened the central government. Its backbone was the new army. It is noted that Reza Khan was the first Iranian ruler who began to regularly pay the military personnel their due salary and gave them a high social status that they had never enjoyed until now. On the one hand, this increased the combat effectiveness of the army, on the other hand, it made it a faithful support of Reza Khan's personal power. In 1923, he took the post of prime minister, and after that, on October 31, 1925, the Majlis (Iranian parliament) overthrew the Qajar dynasty and transferred temporary power directly to Reza Khan. The question of the final establishment of the form of government was referred to the decision of the Constituent Assembly. It met on December 12 and proclaimed Reza Khan the hereditary Shah of Iran under the name of Reza Shah Pahlavi.

In a short time, the personal power of Reza Shah became virtually unlimited. He himself appointed and changed ministers, and the Majlis was so obedient to him that not once during all the years of his reign did he dare to criticize the Shah. This allowed the new sovereign to quickly modernize the country. The reforms began with the transformation of the legal system. From 1925 to 1928, three new sets of laws were adopted: commercial, criminal and civil codes. All of them to a large extent limited the legal power of the clergy. So, all property issues were transferred to the jurisdiction of secular courts, the process of paperwork and registration of real estate was completely transferred from the church to state bodies.

In May 1928, the regime of capitulations and unequal treaties with the European powers was annulled. In May 1950, the right to issue was transferred from the English Shahinshah Bank to the Iranian National Bank founded in 1928. In the same year, the creation of modern industry began. First of all, textile enterprises and factories for processing agricultural products were built. In addition, several military factories, cement and glycerine plants were built in the vicinity of Tehran. A grandiose enterprise that struck the imagination of contemporaries was the construction of the Trans-Iranian railway, carried out by Reza Shah, which connected the port of Bandar Shah on the Caspian Sea with the port of Bandar Shahpur in the Persian Gulf. The length of the road, built from 1928 to 1938, was 1394 kilometers. It was a complex engineering structure with 4,100 bridges and 224 tunnels. Then the construction of railways began, connecting Tehran with Tabriz and Mashhad. At the same time, highways were being built, the total length of which reached 20 thousand kilometers. Large-scale construction began in Tehran and some other cities. The Iranian capital has taken on a completely European look. Many streets were covered with asphalt.

The reforms affected many aspects of the life of Iranian society, primarily the sphere of education and life. Tehran University was founded in 1934. In addition, an agricultural institute in Keredzh and a pedagogical institute in Tehran were opened. Following the example of Turkey, a clothing reform was carried out and a European costume was introduced. Clerics who wished to walk in turbans and traditionally wide robes had to obtain permission from the Ministry of Education. In 1935, a decree was issued on the mandatory removal of the veil. By order of the Shah, the police pursued those who appeared on the street in a veil. Women began to be admitted to higher educational institutions and to work in state institutions. Schools were created where boys and girls studied together. The influence of the clergy in the field of education was significantly undermined.

Thus, Reza Shah tried to turn Iran into a modern secular state. But there was another goal in these transformations - nationalistic. For a long time, Shiism served as a unifying national idea in Iranian society. Reza Shah tried to establish among his subjects a completely new national idea. From the first days of his reign, the praise of the "Persian", pre-Islamic past of Iran during the reign of the Achaemenids and Sassanids began. All the power of the state propaganda machine was directed to this. Through textbooks, mass publications and radio programs, they tried to instill pride and love for the ancient Iranian culture in their subjects. At the same time, they tried to destroy the traces of the centuries-old influence of other cultures. So, the names of many cities and villages were changed, which betrayed their non-Persian origin, and in March 1934 the country instead of "Persia" became known as "Iran". In 1935, the Shah founded the Iranian Academy, whose main task was to "purify" the Persian language from Turkish and Arabic influence. (However, this task turned out to be impossible, since the modern Persian language includes a huge number of words of Arabic and Turkic origin.)

Ethnic minorities, especially Azerbaijanis and Kurds, suffered severely due to the growing Persian chauvinism every year. Not a single university was built outside of Tehran during the reign of Reza Shah. Education, publication of books and newspapers, and even public speaking in their native languages - Assyrian, Azeri, Armenian and Kurdish - were banned. Persian governors were appointed to Azerbaijan, and most of the high administrative posts were also occupied by Persians. Back in 1928, Kurds were forbidden to wear national clothes. The very name "Kurdistan" was changed to "Western Azerbaijan". All this could not but arouse the indignation of local residents, since Azerbaijan paid rather large amounts of tax to the central government, but did not receive any benefits from industrialization. When the floods ravaged Tabriz, Tehran did not provide him with any help, and the city had to be restored at its own expense. Things were even worse in other national outskirts. Thus, the state of health care in Kurdistan and Balochistan remained the worst in the country. For all the years of the reign of Reza Shah, not a single factory and not a single road was built here.

Being an ardent nationalist, Reza Shah sincerely sympathized with Hitler and admired the political system created by the Nazis in Germany. Shortly after Hitler came to power in 1933, the Irane Bastan newspaper informed its readers: “The main goal of the German nation is to restore it to its former glory by restoring national pride, inciting hatred of foreigners and preventing theft and treason from sides of Jews and foreigners. That is exactly what our goals are." The closest economic, military and cultural ties were established with Nazi Germany. When World War II began, Reza Shah officially declared his neutrality. However, at the same time, he provided complete freedom of activity for German intelligence and categorically objected to the fact that transports with weapons and other strategically important goods supplied from the USA and Great Britain went through the territory of Iran to the USSR.

The powers of the anti-Hitler coalition perceived this behavior of the Shah as a threat and did not hesitate to respond. In August 1941, Iran was occupied by Soviet and British troops. On September 16, after the Soviet troops entered Tehran, Reza Shah abdicated and left for Isfahan, to the location of the British troops. Leaving, he told his son and heir Mohammed Reza Shah: “The people have always known me as an independent Shahinshah, master of his will, strong, guarding the interests of his own and the country, and it is precisely because of this reputation, trust and respect of the people for me I cannot be a nominal padishah of a occupied country and receive instructions from the hands of a Russian or English junior officer.

The overthrown shah was taken on an English ship to the island of Mauritius. In the spring of 1942, already seriously ill, he moved to South Africa, to Johannesburg, where he died in July 1944.

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Last Shah of Iran “When in power, with money, or with the crown, the fate of people tosses like kittens. Well, how did we miss the place of the Shah?! - Our descendants will not forgive us for this. The Shah signed in complete incompetence. Take it here and replace it! Where to get? We have any second in Turkmenistan - Ayatollah, and even Khomeini!(V.S. Vysotsky)

Aircraft of the Voronezh Aviation Plant in 1972 lured the last Shah of Iran to our city, Voronezh was visited by Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Of course, he did not arrive alone, but accompanied by his wife, Shahin Farah, and a delegation of about 60 people. In those years, there was no newspaper that did not write about one of the most beautiful couples in the East ... They wrote about his unthinkable state, about his ceremonial uniform (on which there were more than two hundred and forty diamonds), about his love for aviation, and, of course, about personal life and much more.

But first things first.

FROM BATTLE TO GENERAL.

Reza Shah the Great. ...................... During the Russian-Persian war of 1828, a soldier-escort and a Georgian woman fled to Persia, and half a century later, on March 16, 1878, in Alashta, in a small village in northern Iran, a boy was born who was destined to turn the tide of Persian history. Nasser ed Din Shah visited St. Petersburg and was delighted with the sight of the Russian Cossacks. At his request, Alexander II formed a Cossack Persian brigade. Nasser-ed Din-Shah, who belonged to the Turkic Qajar dynasty, did not know then that the brigade would bring up the one who would overthrow this very dynasty. Reza Pahlavi grew up with his mother, his father died when the boy was not even a year old. In 1893, he entered the service as a batman to a Russian officer. In 1916, Reza himself became the commander of the Cossack brigade. He walked for the rest of his life in a Russian uniform, and the Cossacks-Old Believers (who served with him) called him "Tsar-Father". On October 27, 1919, his son is born - Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the hero of our story. February 1921. Reza Khan, leading a campaign of 2 thousand Cossacks against Tehran, organizes a military coup, removes the Qajar dynasty from power, eliminates Iran's political dependence on England and forces it to remove troops from Iranian territory.

Reza fought illiteracy, built highways, schools, railways, airports, built a university. Prince Mohammed received an excellent education, studied in Switzerland. Meanwhile, his father Reza Khan, meanwhile, was carried away by the Aryan theory of Hitler, who came to power in 1933, and even ordered to call his country not Persia, but Iran, that is, the “country of the Aryans”. Photo of the 1930s, women of Iran - without the veil:

The prince returned to Tehran in 1937, remarkably versed in economics, finance, history, having studied several European languages. He did not get into state affairs, and, in fact, his imperious father did not allow anyone into this sphere of activity, even the heir to the throne. I will not describe in detail the various subsequent political events, but as a result, in 1941, British and Russian forces invaded and occupied Iran, and Reza Pahlavi abdicated in favor of his son. Reza himself, under the escort of the British, was taken first to Mauritius, and then to Johannesburg (South Africa), where he died on July 26, 1944. ...............LAWS OF EASTERN HOSPITALITY. Tehran-43. ............... Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was proclaimed Shahinshah at the age of 21. In 1942, he signed an alliance treaty with Great Britain and the USSR, and in September 1943 he declared war on Germany. I’ll add on my own, I was always amazed by this declaration of war against the Nazis precisely in 1943, when there was already a clear advantage in the direction of the Soviet Union. Before that, everyone, like hares, hid in the corners and waited, whose side to take. Okay, digressing from the topic. During a meeting in Tehran of the Big Three, the young Shah met with F.-D. Roosevelt, W. Churchill and I. V. Stalin. Iosif Vissarionovich showed a high-class knowledge of diplomacy, although he should not understand the laws of oriental hospitality.

Marshal of Long-Range Aviation A.E. Golovanov recalled: “Upon the arrival of the heads of the three powers in Tehran, the Shah of Iran asked for an audience with Churchill and Roosevelt to greet the guests. Arriving at the British embassy, he waited quite a long time until Churchill came out to him. Roosevelt's wait was less long, and finally the phone rang to our embassy asking when His Excellency Stalin could receive the Shah of Iran. The embassy asked to wait to agree on the time of the visit. Quite quickly, an answer was received that read: “The head of the Soviet delegation asks when the Shah of Iran will find time and be able to receive him?” The caller to the embassy said in a somewhat bewildered voice that he was misunderstood that the Shah of Iran was asking when he could come to Stalin. However, the answer was that he was understood correctly, and Stalin was asking exactly when the Shah of Iran could receive him. The caller said that he had to report to the Shah. After some time, a call followed and the embassy was informed that if they understood correctly and JV Stalin really wants to visit the Shah of Iran, then the Shah will be waiting for him at such and such a time. At the precisely appointed hour, Comrade Stalin visited the Shah of Iran, greeted him and had a long conversation with him, stressing that every guest should pay tribute to the host, visit him and thank him for his hospitality. Questions of attention in general, and in the East in particular, have a certain meaning and significance. The Shah was then very young, he was fond of aviation and received a light aircraft as a gift from us. Stalin's personal visit to him further strengthened the friendly relations that subsequently existed for many years between our states. Indeed, it would seem an insignificant case, but in fact it is politics, and considerable ... ". The young monarch highly appreciated Soviet military equipment, especially combat aircraft, on which he himself flew no worse than first-class pilots, and declared "his sympathy for the Soviet Union and the Red Army." He, like Peter I, "cut a window to Europe", tried to make Iran one of the largest industrial powers in the world.

EGYPTIAN PRINCESS...................................

However, the divorce was legalized by the Iranian authorities only three years later, in 1948. She remarried in 1949 to a distant relative, Colonel Ismail Hussein Shirin Bey, and became known as Fawziya Shirin. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, she was stripped of her royal privileges and titles and is still treated respectfully using her title. I understand that Fawzia is still alive. Photo taken from here.(external reference)

SORAYA......................................

Unfortunately, she could not have children, and the Iranian Majlis (parliament) demanded an heir. Mohammed thought about taking a second wife who would bear him a son, and also proposed changing the constitution of Iran so that after his death the throne would be inherited by his brother. Soraya was against the first option, and the Majlis was against the second. In March 1958, Mohammed was forced to divorce. However, several times a year, he flew from Iran to Switzerland (where his second wife lived) on a plane that he himself flew. The second wife became, as they say, the love of a lifetime. I completely agree with this. As you know, if a person does not get along with his personal life, he goes headlong into work. Shah, after the divorce, actively engaged in the transformation of the country. By the way, Soraya also enjoyed popular recognition and respect. Soraya was nicknamed "the sad-eyed princess". After her divorce from the Shah, the princess tried herself in the cinema. As an actress, she took part in the Dino Di Laurentiis project. It was supposed that she would embody the image of the great Russian Empress Catherine on the screen, but the project failed.

Soraya Asfandiyari died in 2001 at the age of sixty-nine in her apartment in Paris under unclear circumstances. ............................Empress Farah............... .................

The legend of the choice of the third wife is as follows: twice a special physical education parade was organized in Tehran, in which several hundred young girls took part. During the first parade, Mohammed failed to make his choice. I had to repeat the parade. The Shah pointed to Farah, who became the new queen. The wedding of 24 year old student Farah and 40th Mohammed Reza Pahlavi took place on December 21, 1959. Farah Diba (b. 1938), came from an old rich Azerbaijani family. Her great-grandfather was ambassador to Russia before the revolution. Farah was educated in Tehran and Paris. In her school years, she was fond of sports and even was the captain of the basketball team. Fluent in English, French, Farsi and some Azeri.

Iran finally got an heir to the throne. In total, Farah gave birth to four children: Reza Kir Pahlavi (1960), Farangiz Pahlavi (1963), Ali Reza Pahlavi (1966), Leila Pahlavi (1970). The first and only of the three wives of Shah Farah received the title of Empress (Shahban). It was a sensation, at that time women in the East were not given such rights.

During the reign of Nikita Sergeevich, relations with Iran were difficult and wary.

In July 1972, with a huge delegation of 58 people, the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, arrived in Voronezh with his wife, Shahin Farrah. Mohammed wanted to purchase a Tu-144 aircraft from an aviation plant. An advantageous agreement was then concluded between the USSR and Iran on the supply of Tu aircraft to Iran. A brilliant married couple was given a hotel, which is located at the intersection of Taranchenko and Karl Marx streets and is popularly called "Steamboat" and "Ship". This hotel has always received only high-ranking guests of the city.

Says the former commandant of the hotel: “During the visit of the Shah, I was appointed commandant of the mansion on Karl Marx Street. The operational staff of our department and representatives of the Moscow 9th department of the KGB of the USSR carried out the necessary preparatory measures. All security measures have been taken. However, this time, we ran into additional problems. The fact is that Mohammed's wife, Shahin Farrah, was almost all the time in the mansion. She was unwell, and she left the residence only four times: she was at an aircraft factory, at a concert at the Opera and Ballet Theatre, at the Yu.E. Shtukman and at a banquet in the Slavyansky restaurant (for some reason, the Shah was absent at the last event). The rest of the time, the shahinya was in the apartments of the residence. She hardly went outside, spending time surrounded by servants. We were given the command not to let any of the Soviet citizens near her. An exception was made only for the deputy chairman of the regional executive committee I.I. Razdymalin (responsible for receiving the delegation) and the chief sanitary doctor of the region V. A. Kamensky (who personally checked all the products brought to the residence these days). In addition to them, at the request of the shahini, a doctor was once delivered to the mansion, to whom, after examination and consultation, Farrakh presented a gold watch ... " They had less than six years to rule.

… ...................... The collapse of the 2500-year-old monarchy .................. ................

Ayatollah Khomeini... A very interesting figure. A tough revolutionary who promotes religion (a paradox in fact). However, that's another story... Mohammed was inspired by success and transformation, and for a long time did not notice the clouds hanging over him. January 1978 arrived. In the holy Muslim city of Qom, the Shah's troops shot down a demonstration, the participants of which demanded the restriction of the Shah's power and a return to the laws of Islam, killing more than 70 people. For the opposition, this was a chance. The clergy organize mass demonstrations. True, they say that the army command offered Mohammed to deal with popular uprisings. To which Pahlavi replied: “I cannot reign on the blood of my subjects. Which country will I give to my son?” Mohammed Reza was no longer in control of the situation and was forced to leave the country on January 16, 1979 with his family. In February 1979, power in Iran passed into the hands of the clergy, headed by Ayatollah Khomeini (a religious leader who was then in exile in Paris), who proclaimed the creation of an "Islamic Republic". Everything that was done by the Shah was destroyed, and the development of the country was thrown back centuries ago. Mohammed lived in Egypt, Morocco, the Bahamas and Mexico. The Islamic authorities of Iran demanded his extradition, and former friends shied away like a leper, fearing Khomeini's revenge. The health of the former monarch deteriorated, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. The arrival of Mohammed Reza for treatment in the United States caused in November 1979 the seizure of the American embassy in Iran by Muslim extremists and an acute international crisis. The deposed Shah left the United States and moved to Panama, and then back to Egypt, where he died and was buried in the Cairo al-Rifai mosque. ............................... DESCENDANTS .................... ......................