Turan Amirsoleimani (), born Qamar ol-Molouk Amirsoleimani (; 4 February 1905 – 24 July 1994), was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

royal and the third wife of

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

, with whom she had a son named

Gholam Reza Pahlavi Gholam Reza Pahlavi (; 15 May 1923 – 7 May 2017) was an Iranian prince and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty, as the son of Reza Shah and half-brother of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Following the death of his half-sister Ashraf ...

Biography

Turan was born Qamar ol-Molouk Amirsoleimani in 1905. Her father,

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

Prince Isa Khan Majd es-Saltaneh Amirsoleimani, was a son of Prince Majd ed-Dowleh, one of the most important politicians during the Qajar era and a first cousin of

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

. Her mother, Shams ol-Molouk Monazzah od-Dowleh, was also a member of the Qajar dynasty. Turan Amirsoleimani completed her education at Namous High School in Tehran, an institution founded in 1908 to advance women's education in Iran, where she earned her diploma at a time when female education was still met with considerable societal resistance.

Marriage

In 1922, she married Reza Khan who was, at the time, minister of war. Reza Khan, though not of noble lineage, sought to strengthen his political position by marrying into a prominent Qajar family. The following year she gave birth to her only son, Gholam Reza Pahlavi. The couple divorced shortly afterwards as Reza Khan considered her arrogant. After the divorce, Amirsoleimani refrained from remarrying and lived with her son Gholam Reza in a royal residence. In 1945, a year after Reza Shah's death, she married Zabihollah Malekpour, a renowned merchant.

Tadj ol-Molouk Tâdj ol-Molouk (; 17 March 1896 – 10 March 1982) was List of royal consorts of Iran, Queen of Iran as the second wife of Reza Shah, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty and Shah of Iran between 1925 and 1941. The title she was given after becoming ...

, Reza Shah's widow and the Queen Mother, used this marriage as an excuse to force Amirsoleimani out of the residence given to her by her former husband.

Later life and death

Following the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

in 1979, Amirsoleimani left

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and moved to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, where she stayed at her cousin Soltan-Mahmoud Amirsoleimani's home for extended periods, before being moved to a retirement home in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in her later years. She died there on 24 July 1994 and was buried at the

cimetière parisien de Thiais The cimetière parisien de Thiais is one of three Parisian cemeteries '' extra muros'', and is located in the commune of Thiais, in the Val-de-Marne department, in the Île-de-France region. History The cemetery was opened in October 1929 and i ...

. Her son was buried next to her after his death in 2017. Amirsoleimani's house in Iran was located on the southwest side of the intersection of Pesyan and Ismaili in the

Zafaraniyeh Zafaraniyeh (Persian: زعفرانیه) is a neighbourhood in northern Tehran, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaija ...

neighbourhood of Tehran. This property was partially destroyed by the

Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation The Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (Persian: کمیته امداد امام خمینی) is an Iranian charitable organization, founded in March 1979 to provide support for poor families. The aim is to help such families regain financial stability ...

on 19 July 2016 before being sold to a private owner and demolished completely.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amirsoleimani, Turan 1905 births 1994 deaths * 20th-century Iranian women Politicians from Tehran Qajar princesses Spouses of prime ministers of Iran Wives of Reza Shah Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in Germany Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France