The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran and the Rise of the Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power'', I. B. Tauris, 2000, , p. 1William Bayne Fisher. ''Cambridge History of Iran'', Cambridge University Press, 1993, p. 344, Dr

Parviz Kambin Parviz Kambin (May 21, 1931 - March 29, 2020) was an American-Iranian medical doctor and orthopaedic surgeon. He was a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and has established an Endowed Chair of Spinal Surgery Research at Drexel University College ...

, ''A History of the Iranian Plateau: Rise and Fall of an Empire'', Universe, 2011, p. 36
online edition
specifically from the

Qajar tribe Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

, ruling over Iran from 1789 to 1925.Abbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3; "In the 126 years between the fall of the Safavid state in 1722 and the accession of Nasir al-Din Shah, the Qajars evolved from a shepherd-warrior tribe with strongholds in northern Iran into a Persian dynasty." The Qajar family took full control of Iran in 1794, deposing Lotf 'Ali Khan, the last

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

of the Zand dynasty, and re-asserted Iranian sovereignty over large parts of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. In 1796,

Mohammad Khan Qajar Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar ( fa, آقا محمد خان قاجار, translit=Âqâ Mohammad Xân-e Qâjâr; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (, ), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ru ...

seized

Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...

with ease, putting an end to the Afsharid dynasty, and Mohammad Khan was formally crowned as Shah after his punitive campaign against Iran's Georgian subjects.

Michael Axworthy Michael George Andrew Axworthy (26 September 1962 – 16 March 2019) was a British academic, author, and commentator. He was the head of the Iran section at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office between 1998 and 2000. Personal life and fam ...

''Iran: Empire of the Mind: A History from Zoroaster to the Present Day''
Penguin UK, 6 November 2008. In the Caucasus, the Qajar dynasty permanently lost many of Iran's integral areas to the

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

over the course of the 19th century, comprising modern-day eastern Georgia,

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

.Timothy C. Dowling
''Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond''
pp 728-730 ABC-CLIO, 2 December 2014 Iran’s international trade developed speedily during the Qajar dynasty. Amid 1800 and 1914, total clear business is probably to have grown from some 2.5 million to 20 million pounds sterling (in current prices).

Qajar Shahs of Iran, 1789–1925

Qajar imperial family

The Qajar Imperial Family in exile is currently headed by the eldest descendant of Mohammad Ali Shah, Sultan Mohammad Ali Mirza Qajar, while the Heir Presumptive to the Qajar throne is

Mohammad Hassan Mirza II Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza II Qajar (born 18 July 1949) is the son of Hamid Mirza and a grandson of Mohammad Hassan Mirza, the last Crown Prince of Iran from the rule of the Qajar dynasty. As heir apparent, he is considered the Qajar preten ...

, the grandson of

Mohammad Hassan Mirza Mohammad Hassan Mirza Qajar ( fa, شاهزاده محمدحسن میرزا قاجار; 20 November 1899 – 7 January 1943) was the brother of Ahmad Shah Qajar of Iran, and former Crown Prince of the Qajar dynasty. Soon after Reza Shah deposed th ...

, Sultan Ahmad Shah's brother and heir. Mohammad Hassan Mirza died in England in 1943, having proclaimed himself shah in exile in 1930 after the death of his brother in France. Today, the descendants of the Qajars often identify themselves as such and hold reunions to stay socially acquainted through the ''Kadjar (Qajar) Family Association'', often coinciding with the annual conferences and meetings of the

International Qajar Studies Association The International Qajar Studies Association (IQSA) is an association specialised in the study of the Qajar Era and the Qajar dynasty. The association organises conferences, study days, lectures, cultural events and exhibitions, publishes books, a J ...

(IQSA). The Kadjar (Qajar) Family Association was founded for a third time in 2000. Two earlier family associations were stopped because of political pressure. The offices and archives of IQSA are housed at the

International Museum for Family History The Internationaal Museum voor Familiegeschiedenis (known in English as the International Museum for Family History, or in short "The Family Museum") is a museum located in the former Ursuline Convent in Eijsden, Netherlands. As a museum with a fo ...

Eijsden Eijsden (; li, Èèsjde ) is a village situated in the very south of the European country the Netherlands. It is located in the southwestern part of the province of Limburg. Until 1 January 2011, Eijsden was the main village in a municipality ...

Titles and styles

The shah and his consort were styled '' Imperial Majesty''. Their children were addressed as '' Imperial Highness'', while male-line grandchildren were entitled to the lower style of ''

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjecti ...

''; all of them bore the title of '' Shahzadeh'' or ''Shahzadeh Khanoum''.

Qajar dynasty since 1925

; Heads of the Qajar Imperial Family The headship of the Imperial Family is inherited by the eldest male descendant of Mohammad Ali Shah. * Sultan Ahmad Shah Qajar (1925–1930) * Fereydoun Mirza (1930–1975) * Sultan Hamid Mirza (1975–1988) * Sultan Mahmoud Mirza (1988) * Sultan Ali Mirza Qajar (1988–2011) * Sultan Mohammad Ali Mirza (2011–present) ; Heirs Presumptive of the Qajar dynasty The Heir Presumptive is the Qajar heir to the Persian throne. * Sultan Ahmad Shah Qajar (1925–1930) *

(1930–1943) * Fereydoun Mirza (1943–1975) * Sultan Hamid Mirza (1975–1988) *

(1988–)

Notable members

; Politics * Prince

Abdol-Hossein Farmanfarma Prince Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma ( fa, عبدالحسین فرمانفرما 1857 – November, 1939) was one of the most prominent Qajar princes, and one of the most influential politicians of his time in Persia. He was born in Tehran to P ...

(1859–1939),

prime minister of Iran The Prime Minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...

* Mohammad Mosaddegh, prime minister of Iran and nephew of Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma. * Prince Firouz Nosrat-ed-Dowleh III (1889–1937), son of Prince Abdol-Hossein Farmanfarma, foreign minister of Iran * Hossein Khan Sardar (1740–1830), last ruler of the

Erivan Khanate The Erivan Khanate ( fa, خانات ایروان, translit=Xānāt-e Iravān; hy, Երեւանի խանութիւն, translit=Yerevani xanut'iwn; az, ایروان خانلیغی, translit=İrəvan xanlığı), also known as Chokhur-e Sa'd, was ...

administrative division *

Amir Abbas Hoveyda Amir-Abbas Hoveyda ( fa, امیرعباس هویدا, Amīr 'Abbās Hoveyda; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the l ...

, Iranian economist and politician,

from 1965 to 1977, a Qajar descendant on his maternal side *

Ali Amini Ali Amini ( fa, علی امینی; 12 September 1905–12 December 1992) was an Iranian politician who was the Prime Minister of Iran from 1961 to 1962. He held several cabinet portfolios during the 1950s, and served as a member of parliamen ...

* Prince

Iraj Eskandari Iraj Eskandari ( fa, ایرج اسکندری; 1907–1985) was an Iranian communist politician. A Qajar prince, Eskandari received French education.Behrooz, Maziar. Rebels with a Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran'. London: I.B. Tauris, 2000. ...

, Iranian communist politician * Princess

Maryam Farman Farmaian Maryam Firouz or Maryam Farman Farmaian (1914, in Kermanshah, Iran – 23 March 2008, in Tehran, Iran) was an Iranian politician. She was a daughter of Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma and Batoul Khanoum. She founded the women's section of ...

(b. 1914–d. 2008) Iranian communist politician, founder of the women's section of the Tudeh Party of Iran * Ardeshir Zahedi (b. 1928–d. 2021) Iranian diplomat, Qajar descendant on his maternal side. * Prince Sabbar Farmanfarmaian, health minister in Mosaddeq cabinet *

Abdol-Hossein Sardari Abdol Hossein Sardari ( fa, عبدالحسین سرداری; 1914–1981) was an Iranian diplomat. He is credited with saving thousands of Jews in Europe, He has since been known as “The Iranian Schindler” or "The Schindler of Iran". Earl ...

(1914–1981), Consul General at the Iranian Embassy in Paris 1940–1945; helped and saved the lives of Jews in danger of deportation by issuing them with Iranian passports. A Qajar Qoyunlu and through his mother a grandson of Princess Malekzadeh Khanoum Ezzat od-Doleh, the sister of Nasser ed-Din Shah. *

Aga Khan III Sultan Muhammad Shah (2 November 187711 July 1957), commonly known by his religious title Aga Khan III, was the 48th Imam of the Nizariyya. He played an important role in British Indian politics. Born to Aga Khan II in Karachi, Aga Khan III ...

(1877–1957), President of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

from 1937 to 1938, one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League and the 48th

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

of the Nizari

Ismaili Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...

Muslims. ; Military * Prince

Amanullah Mirza Qajar Amanullah Mirza Qajar (russian: Аманулла Мирза Каджар; fa, امان الله میرزا قاجار; 1857—1937) was a prince in Persia's Qajar dynasty. He was also an Imperial Russian and Azerbaijani military commander, obtain ...

Imperial Russian The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...

, Azerbaijani, and

ian military commander * Prince Feyzulla Mirza Qajar, Imperial Russian and Azerbaijani (ADR) military commander * Prince Aleksander Reza Qoli Mirza Qajar, Imperial Russian military leader, commander of Yekaterinburg (1918) * Prince

Amanullah Jahanbani Amanollah Jahanbani ( fa, امان ‌الله جهانبانى; 1891 – 1 February 1974) was a member of the Qajar dynasty and a senior general of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Early life and education Jahanbani was born in 1895. He was the great grandso ...

, senior Iranian general * Nader Jahanbani, general and vice-deputy chief of the Imperial Iranian Air Force ; Social work * Princess Sattareh Farmanfarmaian, Iranian social work pioneer ; Business * Princess

Fakhr-ol-dowleh Princess Ashraf al-Muluk (1883–1955), titled Fakhr-ol-Dowleh (meaning ''pride of the state''), was one of the most prominent daughters of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty, who had a reputably strong character, to the point that s ...

Religion * Aga Khan IV (1936–), the 49th and current

Nizari Ismailism The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize independent ...

, a denomination of

Isma'ilism Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...

within

Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...

. ; Women's rights * Princess

Mohtaram Eskandari Mohtaram Eskandari ( fa, محترم اسکندری; 1895 – July 27, 1924), was an Iranian intellectual and a pioneer of the Iranian women's movement. She was the co-founder and first leader of Jam'iyat-e Nesvan-e Vatankhah, the first women's ...

, intellectual and pioneering figures in Iranian women's movement. * Dr. Iran Teymourtash (Légion d'honneur) (1914–1991), journalist, editor and publisher of the newspaper ''Rastakhiz'', founder of an association for helping destitute women. Daughter of court minister Abdolhossein Teymourtash and through both her maternal grandparents a Qajar.L. A. Ferydoun Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn (Khosrovani) (ed.), "Qajar Studies". ''Journal of the International Qaja Studies Association'', vol. X–XI, Rotterdam, Gronsveld, Santa Barbara and Tehran 2011, p. 220. ; Literature * Prince Iraj (1874–1926), Iranian poet and translator * Princess

Lobat Vala Lobat Vala (born 1930 in Tehran) is an Iranian poet and campaigner for the Women Liberation and Equal Rights in Iran. Early life Having been exiled from Iran since 1979, Vala lives in London, and she lived in Melbourne between 1980 and 1984. ...

(b. 1930), Iranian poet and campaigner for the Women Liberation * Shahrnush Parsipur, Iranian novelist, a Qajar descendant on her maternal side *

Sadegh Hedayat Sadegh Hedayat ( fa, صادق هدایت ; 17 February 1903 – 9 April 1951) was an Iranian writer and translator. Best known for his novel '' The Blind Owl'', he was one of the earliest Iranian writers to adopt literary modernism in their care ...

, a Qajar descendant through the female line * Dr.

Anvar Khamei Anvar Khāmahʼī ( fa, انور خامه‌ای; 20 March 1917 – 20 November 2018) was an Iranian sociologist, economist, journalist, and politician, who wrote many books in his specialty fields, including his analytical and critical book ''R ...

, the Iranian economist, politician, and sociologist. ; Entertainment *

Gholam-Hossein Banan Gholām-Hossein Banān ( fa, غلامحسين بنان; 5 May 1911 – 27 February 1986) was an Iranian musician and singer. One of the most prominent Iranian singers of the 20th century, he was renowned for the quality of his voice. Biography B ...

, Iranian musician and singer, Qajar descendant on his maternal side.

Family tree

Mothers of Qajar Shahs

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * Gvosdev, Nikolas K.: ''Imperial policies and perspectives towards Georgia: 1760–1819'', Macmillan, Basingstoke 2000, * Lang, David M.: ''The last years of the Georgian Monarchy: 1658–1832'', Columbia University Press, New York 1957 * * *

External links

The Qajar (Kadjar) Pages

The International Qajar Studies Association

Dar ol-Qajar

Qajar Family Website

Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran Digital Archive by Harvard University

Qajar Documentation Fund Collection
at the

International Institute of Social History The International Institute of Social History (IISH/IISG) is one of the largest archives of labor and social history in the world. Located in Amsterdam, its one million volumes and 2,300 archival collections include the papers of major figur ...

{{Authority control 1785 establishments in Iran 1925 disestablishments in Iran * Middle Eastern dynasties Shia dynasties