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The Ghavam (Qavam) family ( fa, خاندان قوام شیرازی) was one of the most influential Iranian families in the
Qajar era 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 ...
(1785–1925). They were descendants of Haj Ebrahim Khan Kalantar. Many sources such as British secret documents and Nasser Al Din Shah Qajar himself believed that the family was
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. The family was so powerful with wealth and political power that it was often said in Shiraz "Before Reza Shah, Qavams were Shah here." The surname Ghavam is borrowed from honorific title Ghavam-al-saltaneh from Qajar court which means pillar or continuation of Kingdom.


Early years

Ghavam family trace their ancestry back to Hajj Ghavam ol Din a 14th-century
Vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...
, and a contemporary of Hafez who is also mentioned in his poems. Local tradition always portray family as Jewish and this claim was confirmed in secret British memoirs of 1890s called Who's Who in Iran. The first member of family to reach political influence was Hajj Ebrahim Kalantar Shirazi. He was a Vizier and Kalantar of Fars in Zand government and his decision to betray Lotf Ali Khan Zand was instrumental in ending
Zand dynasty The Zand dynasty ( fa, سلسله زندیه, ') was an Iranian dynasty, founded by Karim Khan Zand (1751–1779) that initially ruled southern and central Iran in the 18th century. It later quickly came to expand to include much of the rest of ...
and bringing Qajars to the throne.
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek ...
Qajar famously addressed him when he met with the representatives of
Alliance Israelite Universelle An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
in Paris by saying However
Fath Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, فتحعلى‌شاه قاجار, Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; May 1769 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irr ...
did not trust Hajj Ebrahim and had him executed in 1801. His fourth son, Ali Akbar Khan, was very young and ill and was spared from Shah's revenge. He later returned to Shiraz and gained influence. He became the Kalantar of Fars by Fath Ali Shah in 1812. He was later awarded the title Qavam ol Mulk (Pillar of kingdom) in 1830 which became family's last name. In 1864 he became the administrator of Imam Reza shrine at Mashhad. Hajj Ali Akbar Khan was survived by his fourth son Ali Mohammad Khan who also inherited the title Ghavam ol Mulk. In total five members of the family held that title until it was abolished by Reza Shah in the 1930s. Ebrahim Khan, Ghavam ol Mulk V was exiled by Reza Shah to Tehran. Fath Ali Khan, Saheb Divan, another son of first Ghavam went to Tehran in 1830 and married a daughter of Fath Ali Shah and became influential in government. He became governor of many provinces. Nasir ol Mulk another son Ali Akbar Khan remained in Fars and served as governor of
Bushehr Bushehr, Booshehr or Bushire ( fa, بوشهر ; also romanised as ''Būshehr'', ''Bouchehr'', ''Buschir'' and ''Busehr''), also known as Bandar Bushehr ( fa, ; also romanised as ''Bandar Būshehr'' and ''Bandar-e Būshehr''), previously Antioc ...
, Lar and
Bandar Abbas Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musan ...
. Thus there are three major branches of the Qavam family: *Ghavams, who are in Tehran and are sons and daughters of Ebrahim Ghavam *Ghavams, who are descendants of Nasir ol Mulk * Saheb Divanis, who are descendants of Saheb Divan from Shiraz The British did enjoy the loyalty of Ghavam family in Fars.
Ahmad Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
Ghavam, son of Ghavam Shiraz was an influential intermediary between the British and Reza Shah. He was often shuttled back and forth between the palace and the British embassy. General Hussein Fardoust wrote in his memoirs that British staff often spent weekends in Ghavam's house and they were treated like members of his family. Ghavam's emissaries were often in movement between Shiraz, Tehran and the British embassy but for important decisions Ghavam himself often came to Tehran to meet with the British. For example, in August 1941 when Reza Shah was showing pro-Nazi views, Ghavam met with Sir Reader Bullard to decide the fate of the Shah. The decision to depose Reza Shah of the throne and put his son in place was made with the influence and the approval of the Ghavam. Ebrahim Ghavam although exiled remained powerful and his son Ali Qavam married Princess
Ashraf Pahlavi Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi ( fa, اشرف‌الملوک پهلوی, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "pow ...
. However this marriage was forced upon Ashraf by Reza Shah in order to gain the favor of the British. When Iran was invaded by the allies, Ghavam tried to distance himself from the Pahlavi's. Their son Prince Shahram Pahlavi Nia was the grandson of both Reza Shah Pahlavi and Ebrahim Ghavam. Ali Ghavam later divorced Ashraf Pahlavi and married a sister of Asadollad Alam.Modern Iran Dialectics, By Michael E. Bonine Nikki R. Keddie, SUNY Press, 1981, page 293. Many places were owned by this family such as: Ghavam Husseinya, Afif-Abad Garden,
Delgosha Garden Delgosha Garden is one of the historical gardens in Shiraz, Iran near Tomb of Sa’di and it belongs to the pre-Islamic era of the Sassanian Empire. In Safavid dynasty, Delgosha Garden was one of the most famous gardens in Shiraz. Some of the ...
, Kalantar Garden, Biglerbeigi Garden, Zenatolmolok House, Narenjestan Qavam.


See also

* Ebrahim Kalantar Shirazi *
Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi Mirza Abolhassan Khan Shirazi Ilchi Kabir ( fa, میرزا ابوالحسن خان شیرازی ایلچی کبیر) was an Iranian statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1824 to 1834, and then again from 1838 until his death ...


References

{{Reflist Iranian families Iranian people of Jewish descent People of the Zand dynasty Qavam family