Eastern concubines a hundred years ago and now. Oriental beauty of the Iranian princess Anis al dolyah



IN social network For more than a month now, the ideals of beauty of past years have been discussed. Many had very correct ideas about the wives of the sheikh of that time. Everyone thought that the beauties of the past should look like Jasmine, from the cartoon about Aladdin, but this is far from the case.

Iranian princess Anis Al Dolyakh is the real refutation of all legends. Anis Al Dolyah reportedly lived in the 1870s. Shah Nasser ad-Din Qajar ruled at that time. He was incredibly fond of photography and took a lot of photos. But in those days it was possible to shoot anything, but not a harem and women. Nasser nevertheless violated the law and secretly filmed his harem, and hid the pictures. It is known that our compatriot Anton Sevrbgin was his court photographer.

Anis al Dolyakh - biography, photo, who is it: Exposing the Iranian princess

In Nasser's harem, indeed, there was a beloved wife and Iranian princess Anis Al Dolyah. She was the one beautiful girl that time. She had 143 admirers, of which 13 committed suicide because of unrequited love. Nowadays, pictures of the time where you can see Anis Al Dolyakh have appeared on the network. For contemporaries, it was a shock to the standards of beauty of that time. It was reported that the girls were specially fattened to be fuller, and those who grew facial hair were considered the most beautiful.



But not so long ago, an exposure of the story appeared on the network. It turned out that it was not Anis Al Dolyakh herself in the pictures, and not even women. The fact is that in addition to pictures, Nasser loved the theater. But at that time, women were forbidden to play in the theater, only men played there. In these photos, in fact, a harem, only it is not real, but theatrical. So it may well be that the picture is just disguised theater actors.

We expose! What did the shah's harem look like? March 4th, 2017

Now on the main page in LiveJournal hanging post, which claims that Shah Qajar personally photographed his harem. It’s like nothing else, but it’s also stated there that the average wife in the harem looked something like the one in the first photo. What a horror!

But we are used to the fact that in films we are shown a harem consisting of oriental charmers, with jet-black hair and burning eyes, which beckon with their beauty. But it turns out that during the reign of Nasreddin Shah in his harem there were such wives, looking at whom one would like to say “Gyulchatay, close your face!”

Let's take a look at this strange situation. See for yourself the rest of the photos...

Ad-Din Shah Qajar and photographer Sevryugin before a photo shoot

So we are told that one of Shah Qajar's many passions 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.

Fullness is the main criterion of beauty

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 incomparable Anis al-Doleh - the favorite wife of the Shah (on the right)

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.

The skinny inhabitants of the harem did not suffer

Looking at these photos, one could draw a conclusion about 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.

How so! But even at that time there were still other standards of beauty!

By the way, does this photo remind you of anyone?

Reminds me of this guy :-)

Let's get into the reveal!

These photos go around the Internet with the caption "Harem". In fact, these are photographs of male actors of the first state theater created on the orders of Shah Nasereddin (a great lover of European culture) at the Dar el-Funun Polytechnic School in 1890, who performed satirical plays only for the palace nobility. The organizer of this theater was Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, who is considered one of the founders of modern Iranian theater. Since women were forbidden to perform on stage, these roles were played by men. The first women entered the stage in Iran in 1917.

In 1861 Mirza Malkom Khan published three satires in Istanbul. plays on socio-political. text: "The Adventure of Ashraf Khan, Governor of Arabistan", "Methods of Government of Zaman Khan from Borujerd" and "Shahkulimirza Goes on a Pilgrimage to Karbala". Mirza Malkom Khan became the founder of Iranian drama, although his plays were intended more for reading (they were never staged in theaters). In the 2nd floor. 19th century a play appeared on a local theme unknown. author of "A Scandal in the Presence of His Majesty", a close satirical. plays by Mirza Malkom Khan. At the end of the 19th century Azeri plays were popular in Iran. playwright M. F. Akhundov (his plays were translated into Persian and published in Tabriz in a separate collection in 1873). These were the first plays, post. for a wide audience in Tabriz and Tehran in 1906.

sources

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 al-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 ad-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.

1. Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar is a happy owner of a harem.

Historians say that for his time, Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar was well educated and was known as a sybarite, so much so that he subsequently caused discontent among his entourage.

2. Ad-Din Shah Qajar and photographer Sevryugin before taking pictures.

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, the Russian photographer Anton Sevryugin opened his studio in Tehran, who became the court photographer of the Iranian ruler. Sevryugin created a photo chronicle of Iran and was awarded an honorary title for his services.

3. The main entrance to the Gulistan Palace.

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.

4. Completeness - as the main criterion of beauty.

It is known that Nasser ed-Din Shah printed the photographs himself in the palace laboratory and kept them in satin albums in his Golestan palace, where the museum is currently located.

5. The incomparable Anis al-Doleh - the beloved wife of the Shah (on the right).

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.

6. Anis al-Doleh, or Soul Friend of the State.

7. The incomparable Anis al-Doleh (sitting).

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.

8. Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar with some women from the harem.

It can even be assumed that the wives in the harem had friendly relations - some photographs show groups at a picnic.

9. Harem at a picnic.

10. The thin women of the harem did not suffer.

From the photographs, one can judge the tastes of the Iranian monarch - all women are in the body, with fused thick eyebrows and well-marked mustaches. It is clearly seen that women did not suffer from hunger and were not burdened with physical work. Experts say that there are even nude photos in the Golestan collection, but they are safely hidden.

11. A young concubine with a hookah.

12. In many photos, the concubines of the harem are depicted in short puffy skirts like ballet tutus (shaliteh). And it is no coincidence.

13. It is known that in 1873, Nasser ed-Din Shah, at the invitation of Alexander II, visited St. Petersburg and attended the ballet. According to legend, he was so fascinated by Russian dancers that he introduced shalitek for his women. True, the concubines could refuse Muslim scarves only in front of the camera. However, it is possible that this is only a legend.

14. Harem ladies in tutus.

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 Iranian Shah, 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 series. 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 which 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.

Iranian Princess Anis al Dolyah: Wikipedia, biography, photo and other equally fascinating information.

Some details about the passion of the Shah, who opened the world to Anis al Dolyah and the fascinating life of an Iranian princess.

More recently, the expanses of the Internet were shocked by extravagant photographs and extraordinary information regarding the Iranian princess Anis al Dolyah. Such her current popularity is associated with the personality of the Shah of Iran, who ruled for 47 years. The famous Neser Karzhar stood out for his unimaginable eccentric and intricate tastes and preferences in choosing companions.

His hobby, photography, was just as unusual. Nowadays, this profession is dear to the hearts of many inhabitants of the planet and is not something strange or forbidden, but as we know, times are changing. In the second half of the 19th century, the art of photography was not as accessible as it is today and suffered many restrictions, starting with technical possibilities that were developed at a level incomparable to today, and moral restrictions, which in some cases were of a legislative nature.

In those days, no one could take pictures of women, especially with an open face. This pattern followed from centuries-old traditions and religious orientation. As always, there is a "but" ... Such prohibitions, according to some sources, did not apply to the great Shah, who had a huge harem. The favorite flower of the harem, the muse and inspiration was the Iranian princess Anis al Dolyah.

After the “publication” of extraordinary photos and even more significant characteristics of the prettiness of the oriental beauty of that time, at the present moment, Anis al Dolyakh herself acts as a lightning split in the ideas of beauty.

For us, a generation that has unlimited access to any information on the Internet, it has long been no secret that the ideals of beauty change over time, and some of them change very significantly. But the likely demands for splendor from the women of the harem, including Iranian princess Anis al Dolyah, are absolutely daunting. According to some reports, men in those days preferred women of rather curvaceous forms. Sometimes, in order to get drunk close to the desired figure, the girls were specially forced to use a large number of food, lead a sedentary lifestyle. Another specific beauty was fused eyebrows and the main highlight - a mustache. Whatever the significance of all this, it could irreversibly affect the health of women.

After analyzing the appearance of Princess Anis al Dolyakh, you involuntarily notice specific tastes in clothes. The photographs show a skirt, the length of which is significantly short for the mores of that time. Also, it is similar in design to a pack.

Certain sources indicate some love of the Shah for ballet, which he first saw in St. Petersburg. Apparently, the dance impressed him so much that he decided to sew tutu-shaped skirts for his wives, creating an outrageous zest.

Along with the shocking appearance of Princess Anis al Dolyah, no less extraordinary information about the Shah's theater troupe got into the network. There are suggestions that the photographs do not depict wives, but the actors of the first theater created by Shah Nasreddin, who was a great and faithful admirer of European culture. This troupe played in small (own) circles for the nobility and courtiers. The organizer and manager of this theater was Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, who today is regarded as the progenitor and founder of the modern Iranian theater. This is explained by the fact that until 1917 women were forbidden to play on stage and their roles were given to men.