Dilaram Khanum ( fa, دلارام خانم, also spelled Del Aram or Delaram; died 1647) was a
Safavid Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
concubine of Safavid
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...
Mohammad Baqer Mirza
Mohammad Baqer Mirza better known in the West as Safi Mirza (15 September 1587, Mashhad – 2 February 1614, Rasht) was the oldest son of king (shah) Abbas the Great (r. 1588-1629), and the crown prince of the Safavid dynasty during Abbas' reig ...
, and the mother of King
Safi ( 1629–1642).
Life
According to Prof.David Blow, in 1632 a court intrigue came to light that involved opposition to Safi's rule originating in the king's harem. This resulted in the king's ordering the massacre of forty women of the harem as well as the blinding and killing of almost all the sons of the daughters of
Abbas I ( 1588–1629). Prior to the 1632 event, one of AbbasI's aunts,
Zeynab Begum, was the leading female in the
harem
Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...
. After the event, Dilaram became the most influential
matriarch
Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property.
While those definitions apply in general En ...
. When Dilaram's son Safi died in 1647, he was succeeded by her grandson, who was known by his
regnal name
A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ...
of
AbbasII ( 1642–1666). In the early years of AbbasII's reign, when he was still young,
grand vizier Saru Taqi
Mirza Mohammad Taqi (c. 1579 – 11 October, 1645) ( fa, میرزا محمد تقی), better known as Saru Taqi (, meaning "Taqi the blond") was an eunuch in Safavid Iran, who served as the Grand Vizier of the Safavid king (''shah'') Safi (r. ...
functioned as his
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
, with Dilaram's strong support.
Sponsorings
Dilaram Khanum sponsored the construction of two schools, in 1645/6 and 1647/8 respectively. The "Jaddeh
caravanserai" (Jaddeh means grandmother) in
Isfahan, constructed during the vizierate of Saru Taqi and being one of the largest in the city, referred to Dilaram Khanum, the grandmother of king Abbas II. In total, there are two caravanserais in Isfahan that are attributed to Dilaram Khanum's sponsoring.
References
Sources
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{{Use dmy dates, date=January 2017
1647 deaths
Iranian people of Georgian descent
Safavid concubines
17th-century Iranian women
17th-century people of Safavid Iran
17th-century slaves