What became famous in the history of Iran, the princess Anis al dolyah. Iranian Princess Anis al Dolyakh: photos, shocking details of her life
Shah Qajara was really fond of photography since childhood and, as soon as he came to power, he created a photo studio in his palace. The court photographer was our compatriot Anton Sevryugin, who opened a photo studio in Tehran in the 1870s. Sevryugin was awarded an honorary title for his contribution to the art of Iran, but he had the right to shoot only the shah himself, courtiers and guests of the head of state. Only the Shah himself had the right to photograph the harem. It is reported that he personally developed the pictures in the palace laboratory and kept them in his private quarters, not showing anyone, but there is no evidence of this.
The fact is that, according to Sharia law, it was considered impermissible to take pictures of the faces of people, and especially women. As head of state, the Shah could afford to violate this law in relation to himself and his courtiers, but not in relation to the harem. So where did the photos of his concubines come from? And why are the women in these photographs so strikingly different from the reference beauties of that time, which we could not see, but could read about?
In fact, these are not Iranian princesses, not the wives of the Shah and ... not women at all! These photographs depict the actors of the first state theater created by Shah Nasreddin, who was a great admirer of European culture. This troupe played satirical plays only for courtiers and nobility. The organizer of this theater was Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, who is considered one of the founders of modern Iranian theater. The plays of that time were played only by men, since until 1917 Iranian women were forbidden to perform on stage. That's the whole secret of the "Iranian princesses": yes, this is the Shah's harem, but in a theatrical production.
Photos of the Iranian princess, the wife of Shah Nasser Qajar, continue to excite impressionable and naive Internet users. Hundreds, if not thousands of articles have been devoted to her, discussing the tastes and preferences of the Shah, who lived almost two hundred years ago.
Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar
The Shah of Iran, who ruled the country for 47 years, was the most educated person in Iran, who knew several languages, loved geography, drawing, poetry, and the author of books about his travels. At the age of seventeen, he inherited the throne, but he could only take power with the help of weapons. He was an extraordinary person who managed to carry out small, from the point of view of our time, but significant for his time, reforms in the country.
As a literate person, he understood that only an educated and developed Iran would be able to exist on an equal footing with other countries in this world. He was a fan of European culture, but he realized that the religious fanaticism that raged in the country would not allow him to turn his dreams into reality.
Nevertheless, much was accomplished during his lifetime. A telegraph appeared in Iran, schools began to open, the army was reformed, a French school was opened, a prototype of the future university, where they studied medicine, chemistry, and geography.
Nasser Qajar Theater
Nasser Qajar knew perfectly well French, was familiar with French culture, in particular with the theater, but he was primarily the Shah of Iran, a Muslim. Therefore, his dream of a full-fledged theater could not come true. But he, together with Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, creates a state theater, the troupe of which consisted of men. In the photos of the actors, you can see the famous "Iranian princess Anis al Dolyah." Yes, this is a princess, but not a real one, but performed by a male actor.
The Iranian theater did not play productions from the life of the people. His satirical repertoire consisted entirely of plays describing the court and social life. All roles were played by men. This is not an isolated case. Remember kabuki, where only men play. True, they played in masks, and it was hardly possible to see their fused eyebrows and mustaches. By the way, thick, fused eyebrows among the inhabitants of Arab and Central Asian countries have always been considered a sign of beauty, both for women and men.
Founder of Iranian theater
Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, a well-known person in Iran, who is considered the founder of the Iranian theater, was the head of the first state theater. All roles were played by men, only after 1917 were women allowed to be actresses and participate in performances.
Old photos
Nasser ad-Din was fond of photography from his youth. He had his own laboratory, where he personally printed pictures. He photographed himself, he had a French photographer who took pictures of him. In the late sixties of the XIX century, the Sevryugins brothers open their studio in Tehran, one of them - Anton - becomes a court photographer.
He removed everything, Sevryugin helped him in this. He kept photos of his wives, close associates, theater artists, his trips, solemn meetings, military operations in the palace safe. After the Iranian revolution, all his archives were declassified, and the pictures fell into the hands of journalists. Who is depicted in these photographs is now difficult to say. Do not rely on the Internet. Signatures for the same photos on different sites differ dramatically. Their reliability is highly questionable.
On one German site, an interesting commentary came across to an article about Nasser al-Din, which was sent by a resident of Iran. He writes that the khan did not like women, therefore, in order to look like men and thus please the shah, they painted on mustaches. It is difficult to say how true this is, but it partially explains the clearly male faces in women's clothes and the fact that an outside man (photographer) takes pictures of the khan in a circle
Who is Iranian Princess Anis
Anis al Dolyakh is, most likely, the name of the heroine of a play that was played out with some acting characters according to different situations(accidents from life). Something like modern TV shows. Each actor played one role for many years.
Shah Nasser Qajar had an official wife, Munir Al-Khan, who bore him children, including his heir, Mozafereddin Shah. She was from a noble and influential family with considerable power. There is no doubt that the Shah had a harem. But who lived in his harem, it is impossible to say for sure now.
Photos of the Shah's concubines
Photos of the Iranian princess al Dolyah and the Shah's concubines, posted on the Internet, are most likely pictures of theater artists or excerpts from plays. Coming to any theater, we see in its foyer the composition of the troupe in photographs, where you can often see actors made up, that is, excerpts from their roles.
Let's not forget that the shah was a supporter of everything European, but remained a Muslim dictator who did not tolerate any dissent. Deviating from the norms of the Koran (in this case, photographing women with open faces) would alienate thousands of his devoted subjects from him. This would not fail to take advantage of his enemies, of whom he had plenty. He was assassinated more than once.
Shah visited many European countries, including Russia. He was fascinated by Russian ballet. He could not stage something like this in his country, so he creates a play about it, dressing the Iranian princess Anis (photo below) and other alleged women in ballet tutus. By the way, the shah wrote books about his travels, which were published in Europe and Russia. Perhaps he also wrote plays for his theatre.
What does the name Anis mean?
Why does an Iranian princess have such strange name It is no coincidence that it was during the reign of Shah Nasser ad-Din that two religious rebels who dared to recognize the Koran as obsolete were shot. This is the founder of a new religion, called Babism, Baba Sayyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi, as well as his ardent follower and assistant Mirza Muhammad Ali Zunuzi (Anis). There is a legend that during the execution, carried out by a detachment of 750 Christians, Baba, in a strange way, ended up in his cell, and Anis was not touched by bullets.
It is the name Anis that the satirical Iranian princess bears. Each time it caused laughter and bullying. By dressing your opponent in women's clothing, which in itself is a shame for a Muslim, the Shah took revenge on those who went against the Koran. We do not know the names of other "inhabitants" of the Shah's harem, maybe they can also tell a lot. Of course, these are only assumptions, what really happened, we will never know.
The other day the news spread around the world: the leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong-un, revived the tradition of his grandfather and father and started his own harem "Garden of Delights". The harem seems to the European to be a kind of abode of young and beautiful women from the Arabian tales "1000 and one night". Meanwhile, curious photos of the harem of Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar, who ruled Iran at the end of the 19th century, crush the prevailing stereotypes. In our review, you can see the beauties of the harem of the Iranian ruler with your own eyes.
Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar - the fourth Shah of Iran received power in 1848 and ruled for 47 years. His reign was the longest in the 3000-year history of Iran.
Historians tell about Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar that for his time he was well educated and was known as a sybarite, so much so that he later caused discontent among his associates.
One of the many passions of Shah Qajar was photography. He liked taking pictures as a child, and when he came to power, he decided to create the first official photo studio in his palace. In the 1870s, Russian photographer Anton Sevryugin opened his studio in Tehran, who became the court photographer of the Iranian ruler. Sevryugin created a photographic chronicle of Iran and was awarded an honorary title for his services.
A Russian photographer could shoot the Shah himself, his male relatives, courtiers and servants. And behind him, Qajar, an ardent admirer of photography, left the right to shoot his harem, in which, according to historians, he had about 100 concubines.
It is known that Nasser ed-Din Shah printed photographs himself in the palace laboratory and kept them in satin albums in his Golestan palace, where the museum is currently located.
The extraordinary nature of the photographs of his concubines lies in the fact that, according to Shiite laws at that time, it was not permissible to take pictures of the faces of people, and even more so the faces of women. And only the most powerful man in the country could afford to break the law.
Looking at the photos of the ladies from the harem, you understand that they look quite modern for their time. Women are confident in front of the camera, calm, not shy or flirtatious.
Photographs of women challenge the generally accepted idea of life in a harem - the Shah's wives look quite modern for that time and self-confident, they calmly look into the camera lens, not flirtatious or shy.
It can even be assumed that the wives in the harem had friendly relations - some photographs show groups at a picnic.
From the photographs, one can judge the tastes of the Iranian monarch - all women in the body, with fused thick eyebrows and clearly visible mustaches. It is clearly seen that women did not suffer from hunger and were not burdened physical work. Experts say that there are even nude photos in the Golestan collection, but they are safely hidden.
More recently, photographs of the second half of the 19th century, which depict the wives of the Iranian Shah Nasser Qajar, got into the Internet community. The star of the harem and the beloved wife of the ruler was the Iranian princess Anis al Dolyah. The extraordinary "beauty" of the concubine amazed contemporaries. And the question became, was the princess a woman? The appearance of the princess gives reason to doubt this.
The Iranian ruler of the second half of the 19th century, Nasser ad Din Shah Qajar, became famous as a reformer. His liberal attitude towards the traditions of his people and his passion for a hobby that was fashionable at that time (photographs) made it possible to get to know the well-known oriental beauty better.
Shah Nasser Kazhdar ruled the country for over 47 years. During his reign, he became famous for his extraordinary hobbies for that period. Photography was his passion. In spite of Muslim traditions, Naser Kazhdar took pictures of his harem, and the wives were with open faces. This is what gave rise to the discussion of real oriental beauty.
The standard of beauty at that time in Iraq was the presence of facial hair in the form of a mustache in women, and the eyebrows should have converged on the bridge of the nose. Special attention was given to the weight of women. Thin and slender were not held in high esteem, it was believed that they would not be able to give healthy and strong offspring. Therefore, in the Iranian harem, the concubines tried to move as little as possible, which caused them to have “seductive” folds on their bodies.
There is a legend that the unusual outfit of the wives of the Iranian ruler is associated with his trip to Tsarist Russia. Having visited the premiere of the ballet in St. Petersburg, the shah was unusually struck by the sight of ballerinas in tutus. After returning home, Shah Nasser Qajar ordered that his wives go only in such outfits.
Like any ruler eastern country, Shah Nasser Qajar had a numerous harem. However, Anis al Dolyah became his beloved wife. It was she who possessed all the signs of the beauty of that historical period.
According to legend, the princess of Iran was extraordinarily beautiful, she had more than 150 admirers. But her the only love and Shah Nasser Qajar became the chosen one. According to rumors, some of the fans committed suicide because of unrequited love.
By today's standards, the beauty of Anis al Dolyah was strange, and the interest in her of so many men seems unrealistic, the site reports. But do not forget that in that period, women's charms were evaluated by other standards.
Unfortunately, nothing more is known about the fate of the Iranian princess. This is what gave rise to a discussion: was there really such a princess, and is it really Anis al Dolyah depicted in the photo.
It is believed that the photographs taken by the Iranian ruler Nasser Qajar do not depict his wives from the harem. And not even women.
The pictures show the actors of the first Iranian theater founded by the Shah of Iran. And since Muslim traditions forbid women to appear on stage, men became the actors of the theater.
This just explains the masculine beauty of Iranian princesses in the photo. If we take into account that the performances were a parody of Shah Nasser's harem, then one can understand the unusual outfits of the ruler's wives.
Now one can only guess who is actually depicted in the pictures of the Iranian Shah Nasser Qajar: women or men. However, the very fact of the existence of such photographs gives a different perspective on the history of Eastern countries.
Not very good these days correct representation about the harem and shah of ancient times, notes the online edition rsute.ru. The shocking details of the life of the concubines in the harem surprised everyone. It was generally accepted that women in the harem are famous for their beauty and live in wealth, but Anis al Dolyah, a princess from Iran, dispelled all stereotypes.
Back in 1848 and for 47 years after, Shah Nasser Karzhar ruled in Iran. He was famous for his eccentricity and strange preferences. There were more than 100 women in his harem, and his most beloved wife was Anis al Dolyah. Iranian princess considered one of the most beautiful women in the country.
Recently, an incredible "beauty" struck the Internet. A photo of an Iranian princess, whose name was Anis al Dolyah, appeared on the Web. It is known that the fourth Shah of Iran, Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar, photographed his wives with an open face, and thanks to this, information about the beauty of that time has come down to our days.
Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar ruled for 47 years - from September 17, 1848 and died at the hands of an assassin at the age of 64. He had a huge harem of women, and the best of them was the Iranian princess Anis al Dolyah. It must be said that in that century Anis al Dolyakh was the ideal of beauty. Then men loved fat women, with fused eyebrows and mustaches. In order for them to gain weight, they were forced to constantly eat and practically not move.
Anis al Dolyah had nearly 150 ardent fans who lusted after her. It is noteworthy that many of them went crazy and committed suicide from the irresistible beauty of the princess.
By the way, Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar has also been to Russia. In St. Petersburg, he saw ballet for the first time. He liked this kind of art very much. The dance impressed the Shah so much that when he returned to his homeland, he ordered to sew skirts similar to tutus for his wives. After a visit to Russia, the wives of the outrageous shah began to wear only such skirts.
All the same, whatever you say, but over the century, ideas about beauty, especially oriental beauty, have changed terribly. The same concubines of checks a hundred and a little more years back and now - just heaven and earth, writes rsute.ru. However, no one claims that one is beautiful, and the other is not. Everyone definitely has their own tastes. Perhaps, before, the lady’s mustache was really not a rudiment, but a highlight ...
Unlike Amira al-Taweel, Fatima is the wife of the current king Saudi Arabia Abdullah ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, therefore her appearance strictly regulated by Muslim norms. There is very little information about Fatima, it is only known that she is one of the four wives of the head of Saudi Arabia, whom he keeps in his own house. To understand how high a privilege this is, one must bear in mind that Abdullah married more than thirty times, but most of the monarch's wives live far from his chambers.