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 historica ...

. In 1796, Mohammad Khan Qajar seized Mashhad 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
''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 Ca ...

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 ''O ...

.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, 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 ...

in Eijsden.

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''; 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) * Mohammad Hassan Mirza (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 * 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 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, prime minister of Iran 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 ...

, prime minister of Iran * 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 (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 II ...

(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 th ...

from 1937 to 1938, one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League and the 48th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. ; Military * Prince Amanullah Mirza Qajar,

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. Th ...

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

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

Sattareh Farmanfarmaian Sattāreh Farmānfarmā'iān ( fa, ستاره فرمانفرمائیان; December 23, 1921 – May 21, 2012), also Sattareh Farman-Farmaian, was an Iranian author, social worker, and was of Qajar nobility. She was one of the daughters of Persian ...

, 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 Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, مظفرالدین شاه قاجار, Mozaf ...

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

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 ...

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, mos ...

. ; 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 (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 caree ...

, a Qajar descendant through the female line * Dr. Anvar Khamei, the Iranian economist, politician, and sociologist. ; Entertainment * Gholam-Hossein Banan, 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 figu ...

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