Meeting Farah

Photo essay: Pleasure of meeting Her Majesty in person for the very First Time

by Darius Kadivar
21-Jun-2008
 

Earlier this month I got an email from Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi's webmaster & secretary inviting me to assist to an annual Paris ceremony in remembrance of her late daughter Princess Leila (March 27, 1970 - June 10, 2001) which was followed by a more relaxed reunion in a Hotel lounge and drawing room for all who were kind enough to attend the gathering at the Passy Cemetery nearby the Trocadero. The invitation was really an unexpected one for me even if I knew that she did read them since I saw some of them (in relation to our Royal History) linked to her official website. >>> FULL TEXT

Photo’s by Masoud Soleyman Zadeh

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azaadeh

abc

by azaadeh on

Look, I'm really stoked for you.I'm glad you figured out how to trash talk with insults that are out of context, while making your subject title : stick to objective.  Talk about hypocrasy.  For your information,  there was no intended "spin" on my analogy.  My entire point is to wake up to the 21st century and not to be tricked into thinking a simple gesture by the pahlavis is any more than minimum after how they hurt iran. you, however, have the uncanny ability to take some small detail of my comment, and start a war of bad comebacks over it.

Well, unlike you, I don't sit on  this site looking for trouble, so I'm done with this discussion *<


eimanz

Farah Khanoom

by eimanz on

Farah Khanoom looks and sounds like a lovely woman. And she has lived a difficult life, i can tell, given all the turmoil her family has faced throughout these past 30 years.

But she is no more special that my own mother, my own famiy, who have also gone through their share of turmoils. Let's make sure we all see each other, including Farah khanoom and all the Pahlavi's, in the same light as every other human being with character.

No one cares for the monarchy anymore. Equality and democracy is all that matters. 


hazratee

What kramer is doing with the Imperial family

by hazratee on

Is this Kramer from Seinfeld in official website center photo right
above Reza Pahlavi's picture?


ThePope

mola nasredeen, you MORON,

by ThePope on

your user name has always represented stupidity in our culture. So we're not surprised by your dumb comments. Just to let you know "seegheh" is more for arabzaadeh, arabzadeh and mullah sefats' mothers. We really don't expect a compliment from everybody on Her majesty but IF you really have nothing smart to say, just go back to your camel riding instead of insulting and making an "ass h..." out of yourself.Remember your comments will fire back too. As I said earlier, try to empty your unexplained complexes in a different way or just shut the F.... up!


Saman

Bot Parasti...

by Saman on

Not sure how old Mr. Kadivar is, but this “Majesty” stuff is both cute and laughable for someone my age (35). He's still a nice guy and I like him.


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To: B-naam; Which one you prefer?

by aaj sr (not verified) on

Ahmadi-nejad kissing Khamene-ee's hand or this photo?

But seriously; this act is a symbol of respect and has nothting to do with superiority etc.
If he feels respect toward her, that's none of your business, after all he is the one who knowingly posted the photos, right?

To those who accuses her for stealing money:
If you have any proof, bring it on .
Remember; after 30 years, if IRI had a shred of proof, they would have blown it out to the roof of the world, so if they did not , or could not, considering their access to all kind of documents and devilish opportunities, have nothing to offer, then recommendation is that you would be to .... .

Cheers.


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salam e mardom e iran.

by soopoor (not verified) on

خوش به حال شما.كاش سلام ِ بچه هايى كه موز و شير ِ مجانى رو زيرِ ماشين انداختند و بعد براى آبى به نام شير ساعت ها تو صف ايستادند ،كسانى كه بالا يه پشت ِ بام ها مرگ بر شوهر اش گفتند و بعد در زير زمين ها از ترس ِ موشك به خود .... ،آنهايى كه آينده يى خوش را براى فرزند ِ خود پيشبينى كردند اما حالا سر خاك انان تا اَبَد قلبى در آتش و چشمى گريان دارند، كه به ليلا يه او نسبت ها دادند و هم اكنون كمتر جوانى سالم و پاك در كنار ِ خود دارند، كسانى كه به ملكه بودن ِ او حسادت كردند و اين بار شاهد زندگيه ملكه وار ِ بى سواد هايى به نام زن حاجى ها بودند.كسانى كه او را خائن گفتند و خود به نام خائن در زندان ها و يا اردو گاه ِ اشرف افتادند.كسانى كه از سرگردانى يه او و شوهرش به رقص افتادند و اين بار خود در پشت ِ مرز هاى ايران تا اَبَد سرگردان هستند،و البته هنوز هم نمى فهمند كه از كجا ميخورند،سلام آن روستا يى يه شمالى كه فكر ميكرد اگر انقلاب شود ديگر شاهد ِ خوش گذران اى يه پولدار ها نخواهند بود و امروز جنگل هاى خود را به باد رفته و در زيرِ ساختمان هايى كه قصر هم پيش ِ آنها لو نگ مى اندازد و ميلياردر هاى تازه به دوران رسيده تر و بى سواد تر و غارت گر تر را در همسايه گي يه خود دارند و جوان خود را در حسرت ماشين هاى شيك و گران قيمت ِ بچه حاجى ها آه كشان مى بينند و گوش آنها هر شب ِ جمعه از فرياد ِ خوشى هاى بى انتها يه انان كر ميشود،كسانى كه با او دزد گفتند و هم اكنون آواز يه دزدى ها شون گوش ِ خود رو هم كار كرده و مردمى هم كه از اين رسوا يى بيش از پيش در درياى غم و اندوه بسر ميرند رو به ايشان مى رساند اى.


Anonymous4now

Thank you Mr. Kadivar!

by Anonymous4now on

Let’s hope that someday Iranians will grow up and mature, and stop believing and propagating propaganda that has been force fed to them. 


B-Naam

Have some self-respect man!

by B-Naam on

Bending over to kiss her hand?!  Come on man!  Why do you have such an inferiority complex for Pahlavis?  Think about it!!!  Do you truly believe that they were the best rulers we could have had?  And please don't compare them to Qajars or IRI, because it's a very weak defense. 

They must really think you're their biggest fan if they send you an e-mail to ask for your ssistance.  You keep insisting in your posts that your interest in them is mainly because of your interest in recent Iranian history whenever someone criticizes you harshly.  Not true based on these pictures!!!  


jamshid

Re: Kadivar

by jamshid on

Thank you for the photos. I look forward to your interview.


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Mr. Mola...

by Shabnam (not verified) on

That is a gross statement that only a very unsophisticated, insensitive, and egocentric person can make. Very unrefined and distasteful indeed.


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Re: I wonder...

by Anonymous irani (not verified) on

azaadeh wrote:

ساواک چند هزار مادر ایرانی را داغدیده کرد؟

We already know the answer with quite a bit of clarity: less than 400 in 16 years prior to revolution, most of them in armed conflicts like in Siahkal.

But the catch is that the same number of people were executed in a single day by the regime who came with the same complaints that you have, and came in power to be better than what shah's regime was.

For one to complain, one should:

(1) Offer a better alternative rather than live in nirvana. It is insane to dismiss "bad" and replace it with "worst".

(2) People should deserve a "better" regime.

(2a) People who saw face of emam on the moon, who found beard of emam between pages of koran, ... were not ready for anything better than shah's regime. The evidence is right in front of us.

(2b) The milder prisoners of the shah's regime who survived are either the ones that are in leadership position of IRI or MKO or executed by IRI. These were the milder prisoners of savak who turned out to be nasty murderous thugs themselves.

(2c) In any society a very small fraction is ready to resort to anything, including vioilence to take control of power and wealth. Any system of government, including democracies, has no choice but to place this tiny fraction under a tight leash, or fall, as sad as it may be. The reliable data is telling us that shah had around 3500 prisoners in its bad times, that is about 0.01% of the population. The number of prisoners in IRI when emam ordered cleaning up of IRI prisons were 35,000, or 10 times larger, and they had to kill en masse to make room for more.

Yes, shah had lots of deficiencies, but so does any other leader and almost all those people who were complaining about his regime.


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No Gods No Masters!

by Payam S (not verified) on

Due to my ever lasting thirst for democracy and liberty, I will have to say that I do not recognize this lady, or anyone for that matter, as a "queen," I do not title her as "majesty", I do not identify her family's reign upon the people of Iran as legitimate, and I will definitely never kiss her hand as a sign of respect for our "queen." I believe one man or woman, or even a thousand of them are too stupid and incompetent to rule the masses. I believe every individual must participate in making decisions that effect their lives and not alienate their political power to a king, queen, priest, mullah, state, church, boss, and all forms of individual and institutional authority.

I hope one day our Iranian mentality and culture of gearing toward "dear leaders" and "just governments" changes direction toward an outlook which promotes democratic and participatory engagement in running our own societies and communities without the interference of kings, governments, capitalists, and exploiters.

No Gods No Masters.
Peace,
Payam


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Sadegh: How could you be a

by sdsf (not verified) on

Sadegh: How could you be a liberal and support theofascism? The current form of government is much worse than monarchy. It's slavery to a bunch of uneducated thugs who are nothing but brutal criminals who think they are Shahan-Sheikh?

Shahan-Sheiki is the most lethal form of totalitarinism, wrose than Nazim, Monarchy, and plain fascism!


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azadeh: Stick to objective

by abc (not verified) on

azadeh: Stick to objective records and facts instead of hyperbole and gossip mongering.

The facts speak for itself. Deal with it.

Spin and safsateh, and mollabazi doesn't work on educated people. You're mistaken if you think you're talking to Basij et al in quom.

This is not the Islamic Republic. Wake up and smell the 21st century and higher education.


Natalia Alvarado-Alvarez

Congrats!

by Natalia Alvarado-Alvarez on

Dear Mr. Kadivar,

Thank you so much for sharing this special moment in your life with us. Excellent pictures!

Solh va Doosti

Nadia


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Darius khan

by an observer (not verified) on

It's true you look much better in these pictures than you did the day you were smiling and all giddy next to Nazanin Afshin Jam (your avatar)! time to change that picture buddy! :-)

As for Shahbanou, I have a lot of respect for her and my heart ached when I saw these pictures of such fine mother mourning on her young daughter's grave.

Thanks for the pictures and please don't tell her to check out this article, such hateful comments here, especially after we all have witnessed what the current regime of mullahs have done would only break her tender heart.


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To Sadegh...

by I Care About Iran (not verified) on

You are right. Farah Diba's title is not Her Royal Highness. The appropriate salutation is Her Imperial Majesty. Above that, the most fitting way to describe her is a woman who has given love, commitment, and dedication to others and innumerable worthwhile causes that have benefited hundreds of thousands in Iran and beyond. She personifies Sa'adi's poem as one who truly is worthy of the title: human being.


sadegh

I hate to state the obvious

by sadegh on

I hate to state the obvious but unfortunately we're often forced to: Farah Diba is not 'her Royal Highness' since Iran does not have a monarchy - sorry this is the fact of the matter. There is no monarchy and the monarchy is old hat. It’s time to give up the languid nostalgia. Like a theocracy, a monarchy is an outdated and antiquated system that has no place in the modern world. Its origin resides in the notion of the 'divine right of kings' i.e. that monarchs are bestowed with the right to rule by god, where have I heard that one before, it sounds familiar…hmmm…and so itself has a theological underpinning - remember the idea of the 'shadow of god on earth'? What nonsense…We need to move beyond such reactionary concepts and remain committed to a future of parliamentary democracy, once both the lamentable historic episodes of the Pahlavis and the Khomeinists are behind us. There is no need why Iranians should feel the need to subjugate themselves to a bunch of halfwits, whether mullahs or monarchs - there is simply no need. How about being genuinely progressive as opposed to selectively so. And before I get accused of false allegiances - let me state that I am a liberal and an atheist so no straw men please...thanks... Ba Arezu-ye Movafaghiat, Sadegh  

 


Monda

Where were her other children?

by Monda on

Or were they just not in the photos? Then why not? Shahbanou's grief should have been respected by more family members and entourage present at this memorial.

Mr. Kadivar, photo on your posts is not really you, Congrats!

 


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May...

by Shabnam (not verified) on

God bless her soul. May she rest in peace. Each and every soul is precious in God's sight. She was so beautiful and so young...


hazratee

Mr. Kadivar I feel your excruciating pain

by hazratee on

Please let go and look forward. Everything will be fine.


Foad

To Mr J. Rashidian

by Foad on

I wonder how do you classify this posting? May be under:

1- Stooges who have clunk to a bloody era and don't let it go, Or

2- Those who like to glorify a person belonging to a bloody dictatorial dynasty in the sad history of Iran.

I have nothing against this woman. I feel she was as much a victim of the past as all ordinary Iranians. She married for title and money and she got a dishonest dictator, womanizer, gambler and robber of Iran's wealth to go along with it.

Foad


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Where are the siblings?

by yaz (not verified) on

Where are the rest of the immediate Family?
Shahbanoo looks so lonely and sad.
So sorry for her loss!
However I realyy like your articles and work Mr. Kadivar.
Keep up the good work.
Very informative and unbiased.
good luck.


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BLESS HER SOUL & ALL IRANIAN YOUTH LOST

by Ayatoilet (not verified) on

How tragic a life she had. The same kind of hardship, fear and loss has echoed throughout the Iranian society especially the youth for the past thirty years of the Islamic revolution. The society is going to be in pain for the long foreseeable future.


Azarin Sadegh

Nice!

by Azarin Sadegh on

Thanks a lot Darius for sharing these memorable pictures! When I lived in France I saw a documentary about Farah Diba followed by an interview with her (all done by frederic mitterand). Surprisingly, it was one of the most moving interviews I had ever seen. She seemed to be a loving and sincere true lady. Since then I have had the most respect for her.

I was also very impressed by the display of StopChildExecutions's ad just below the Labour of Love title. Thanks! Azarin

PS: BTW, who was the lady with kids standing close to Farah during the ceremony? Was it Farahnaz? 


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Azadeh jan: do you think of

by appeaser-geer (not verified) on

Azadeh jan: do you think of howmany madare daghdideh SAVAMA And VEVAK, AND MOIS have left behind???

To: Thoroughbread apologists and tellers of falshoods: The pahalvis compared to the Islamic Republic of goons were Saints.  

Today, with the exception of those relegated to the marginalized swamps of the "liberal-left" dogma, any reputable observer would concede that virtually every aspect of Iranian life and society (education, health, arts, sports, infrastructure, banking, justice system, the military, women's rights, social and religious freedoms…) was breathtakingly modernized and "civilized" under the Shah. When it came to the participation of Iranian people in the political process, while the Shah's system of government was "authoritarian", Iran was far from being a brutal "totalitarian" state, examples of which were plenty under Communist and strict Islamic regimes. In the words of historian "George Lenczowski" -the author of “Iran Under the Pahlavis”- Iran under the Shah was not only "freer" than all of its neighboring Islamic and most other Middle Eastern countries, but also all the Communist "Utopias" to which the intellectual “Mafia” was comparing its government. Did these "facts" ever interfere with the Leftist intellectuals’ "war" against the Shah? Did any of them ever offer a similar critique of “Castro’s Socialist Paradise”? To them, and to the Left in general, the Shah's regime was a tool of American influence in the region...

Do you know about the Omid Memorial established by her foundation? (The list of those murdered by the IRI) //www.abfiran.org/english/memorial.php How many Left wing political dissidents were prisoned or executed during Reza Shah the Great’s reign? A) 53. Only one was executed. How many people were killed during Mohammad Reza Shah’s 35 year reign? IR’s former guy has the answer:

A) Get your answer here: “A question of Numbers” //www.emadbaghi.com/en/archives/000592.php You might also want to read a letter by a former Islamic Republic serviceman who fought in the Iraq-Iran war, published in Iranian.com in response to a pro-Khomeini comment: YOu have to scroll down to the bottom of the page. The author’s name is Aryo Barzan

//iranian.com/Letters/2007/July/a.html اسامی قربانيان کشتار زندانيان سياسی در سال ۶۷

//www.asre-nou.net/1386/shahrivar/6/koshtar/m...


Nader

Darius jan you look good buddy!

by Nader on

No comments on Farah (you know my feelings towards that family), however, you look good for an old man:-)

Just kidding baba jan. You look good period dadash!

Thanks for the picturial...


Jaleho

Azaadeh, how ironic

by Jaleho on

Your post and the mood of some of the posts in this thread is strangely connected to a novel that I am reading RIGHT NOW!! Read it if you can:

 

Baghe Ferdous

By: Anahita Firouz/Goli Emami

 


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Yah! this one is much better than the funeral for

by Associated Pressure (not verified) on

Yves Saint Laurant!

Such small gathering when you compare with Friday Prayers in Tehran LOL....

Ghameh akharetoon baasheh....