View source for Farah Pahlavi

{{Short description|Queen/Empress of Iran from 1959 to 1979}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox royalty
| consort      = yes
| name         = Farah Pahlavi
| image        = Shahbanu of Iran.jpg
| caption      = Official portrait, {{circa|1973}}
| succession   = [[List of royal consorts of Iran|Queen/empress consort of Iran]]{{efn|The title of ''[[shahbanu]]'' (empress) was devised especially for Farah prior to her coronation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Uu7SJMUYA|title=Shahbanou (Documentary)|publisher=Farah Pahlavi's Official YouTube Channel|date=25 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://farahpahlavi.org/queen-farah-pahlavi/|title=Queen Farah Pahlavi|work=farahpahlavi.org|access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref>}}
| reign1       = 21 December 1959 – {{nowrap|11 February 1979}}
| coronation2  = 26 October 1967
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]|1959|1980|reason=died}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran|Crown Prince Reza]]
* [[Farahnaz Pahlavi|Princess Farahnaz]]
* [[Ali Reza Pahlavi (born 1966)|Prince Ali Reza]]
* [[Leila Pahlavi|Princess Leila]]
}}
| house        = [[Pahlavi dynasty|Pahlavi]] (by marriage)
| father       = Sohrab Diba
| mother       = [[Farideh Ghotbi]]
| birth_name   = Farah Diba
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1938|10|14|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Tehran]], [[Pahlavi Iran|Imperial State of Iran]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pTVSPmyvtkAC&pg=PA44 |title=The Life and Times of the Shah|isbn=9780520942165|last1=Afkhami|first1=Gholam Reza|date=12 January 2009|publisher=University of California Press }}</ref>
| signature    = [[File:Farah Pahlavi signature.svg|125px]]<br/>Persian signature 
[[File:Latin signature of Farah Pahlavi.svg|150px]]<br/>Latin signature
}}
{{Iranian Imperial Family}}

'''Farah Pahlavi''' ({{langx|fa|فرح پهلوی}}; {{née|'''Diba'''}} [{{lang|fa|دیبا}}]; born 14 October 1938) is the former Queen and last Empress ({{langx|fa|شهبانو|[[Shahbanu|Shahbânu]]|label=none}}) of Iran and is the third wife and widow of the last [[List of monarchs of Iran|Shah of Iran]], [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]].

She was born into a prosperous Iranian family whose fortunes were diminished after her father's early death. While studying architecture in [[Paris]], she was introduced to the Shah at the [[List of diplomatic missions of Iran|Iranian embassy]], and they were married in December 1959. The Shah's first two marriages had not produced a son—necessary for [[Order of succession#Monarchies and nobility|royal succession]]—resulting in great rejoicing at the birth of [[Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran|Crown Prince Reza]] in October of the following year. As a philanthropist, she advanced the welfare of Iranian civil society through the establishment of charities, and founded Iran's [[Shiraz University]], Iran's first American-style university, increasing the number of women students. She also facilitated the recall of Iranian antiquities from museums abroad.

By 1978, growing [[Criticism of monarchy|anti-imperial]] unrest fueled by growing inequality between rich and poor throughout Iran was showing clear signs of [[Iranian Revolution|impending revolution]], prompting Farah and the Shah to leave the country in January 1979 under the threat of a death sentence. For that reason, most countries were reluctant to [[Right of asylum|harbour]] them, with [[Anwar Sadat]]'s Egypt being an exception. Facing execution should he return, and in ill health, Mohammad Reza died in [[exile]] in July 1980. While in exile, Farah has continued her charity work, dividing her time between Washington and Paris.

==Childhood==
[[File:Fpboyscout.jpg|thumb|Farah with [[Iran Scout Organization|Iranian Boy Scouts]] in Paris, ({{Circa|1956}})]]
Farah Diba was born on 14 October 1938 in [[Tehran]] to an upper-class family.<ref>{{cite book|title=The life and times of the Shah|url=https://archive.org/details/lifetimesshah00afkh|url-access=limited|first=Gholam Reza|last=Afkhami|page=[https://archive.org/details/lifetimesshah00afkh/page/n62 44]|isbn=978-0-520-25328-5|publisher=University of California Press|edition=1|date=12 January 2009}}</ref><ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|author=Shakibi, Zhand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZlptU4A2HkUC |title=Revolutions and the Collapse of Monarchy: Human Agency and the Making of Revolution in France, Russia, and Iran|publisher= I.B. Tauris|year=2007|isbn= 978-1-84511-292-9|page=90}}</ref><ref name="Taheri, Amir 1991. p. 160">Taheri, Amir. ''The Unknown Life of the Shah''. Hutchinson, 1991. {{ISBN|0-09-174860-7}}; p. 160</ref> She is the only child of Captain Sohrab Diba (1899–1948), an officer in the [[Imperial Iranian Armed Forces]] and a graduate of the [[École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr|French Military Academy of St. Cyr]], and his wife [[Farideh Ghotbi]] (1920–2000). In her memoir, Farah writes that her father's family were natives of [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azerbaijan]] while her mother's family were of [[Gilaks|Gilak]] origin, from [[Lahijan]] on the Iranian coast of the [[Caspian Sea]].<ref name=enduring>Pahlavi, Farah. 'An Enduring Love: My life with The Shah. A Memoir' 2004</ref>

In the late 19th century, her grandfather had been a diplomat serving as the Persian Ambassador to the [[House of Romanov|Romanov]] Court in [[St. Petersburg]], Russia.<ref>{{cite book|first=Nooshin Saeidosadat|last=Manshadi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wqp4EAAAQBAJ&dq=Farah+Diba+ambassador+Russia&pg=PA125|title=Farewell My Queens: from Marie Antoinette to Farah Diba|isbn=9782382362716|publisher=Marjorie S. Maman|date=29 June 2022|pages=125}}</ref> She is moreover a relative of Iranian politician [[Abolhassan Diba]], Iranian architect [[Kamran Diba]], and Iranian-American curator [[Layla S. Diba|Layla Diba]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=[[Bob Colacello]]|url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/farah-pahlavi|title=Farah Pahlavi|date=1 August 2014|website=[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]|language=en-US|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>

Farah wrote in her memoir that she had a close bond with her father, and his unexpected death in 1948 deeply affected her.<ref name=enduring/> The young family was in a difficult financial state. In their reduced circumstances, they were forced to move from their large family villa in northern [[Tehran]] into a shared apartment with one of Farideh Ghotbi's brothers.

==Education and engagement==
The young Farah Diba began her education at [[Pietro Della Valle Italian School|Tehran's Italian School]], then moved to the French [[Jeanne d’Arc School, Tehran|Jeanne d’Arc School]] until the age of sixteen and later to the [[Razi High School|Lycée Razi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.farahpahlavi.org/sports.html|title=Empress Farah Pahlavi Official Site - سایت رسمی‌ شهبانو فرح پهلوی|work=farahpahlavi.org|access-date=2 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715005251/http://www.farahpahlavi.org/sports.html|archive-date=15 July 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was an athlete in her youth, becoming captain of her school's basketball team. Upon finishing her studies at the [[Razi High School|Lycée Razi]], she pursued an interest in architecture at the [[École Spéciale d'Architecture]] in Paris,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8NIwBwAAQBAJ&q=farah+diba+studied+architecture+at+the+Ecole+sp%C3%A9ciale+d'architecture&pg=PA93|title=Translation, History and Arts: New Horizons in Asian Interdisciplinary Humanities Research|last=Meng|first=J. I.|date=29 July 2013|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=9781443851176|language=en}}</ref> where she was a student of [[Albert Besson]].

Many Iranian students who were studying abroad at this time were dependent on State sponsorship. Therefore, when the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]], as head of state, made official visits to foreign countries, he frequently met with a selection of local Iranian students. It was during such a meeting, in 1959 at the Iranian Embassy in [[Paris]], that Farah Diba was first presented to Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.

After returning to Tehran in the summer of 1959, Mohammad Reza and Farah Diba began their courtship. The couple announced their engagement on 23 November 1959.

==Marriage and family==
Farah Diba married [[Mohammed Reza Pahlavi|Shah Mohammed Reza]] on 20 December 1959, aged 21. The young Queen of Iran (as she was [[Style (manner of address)|styled]] at the time) was the object of much curiosity and her wedding received worldwide press attention. Her gown was designed by [[Yves Saint Laurent (designer)|Yves Saint Laurent]], then a designer at the house of [[Dior]], and she wore the newly commissioned [[Noor-ol-Ain Diamond]] [[tiara]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gO9nBwAAQBAJ&q=farah+diba+noor-ol-ain+tiara&pg=PA176|title=World Clothing and Fashion: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Social Influence|last=Snodgrass|first=Mary Ellen|date=17 March 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317451679|language=en}}</ref>

After the pomp and celebrations associated with the imperial wedding, the success of this union depended on the birth of a male heir. Although he had been married twice before, the Shah's previous marriages had given him only a daughter who, under [[agnatic primogeniture]], could not inherit the throne. The pressure for Farah was acute. The shah himself was deeply anxious to have a male heir as were the members of his government.<ref name="ReferenceA">Pahlavi, Farah. 'An Enduring Love: My Life with The Shah. A Memoir', 2004.</ref> Furthermore, it was known that the dissolution of the Mohammad Reza's previous marriage to [[Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary|Queen Soraya]] had been due to her infertility.<ref>"Queen of Iran Accepts Divorce As Sacrifice", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 15 March 1958, p. 4.</ref>

[[File:ShahanshahRoyalFamily2.jpg|thumb|right|Farah and Mohammad Reza with their four children, 1973]]

The couple had four children:

* Crown Prince [[Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran|Reza Pahlavi]] of Iran (born 31 October 1960). He and his wife [[Yasmine Pahlavi|Yasmine]] have three daughters.
** Princess Noor Pahlavi (born 3 April 1992)
** Princess Iman Pahlavi (born 12 September 1993)
** Princess Farah Pahlavi (born 17 January 2004)
* Princess [[Farahnaz Pahlavi]] of Iran (born 12 March 1963)
* Prince [[Ali Reza Pahlavi (born 1966)|Ali Reza Pahlavi]] of Iran (28 April 1966 – 4 January 2011). He and his companion Raha Didevar had one daughter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rezapahlavi.org/details_article.php?english&article=535|title=Announcement of Birth|publisher=Reza Pahlavi|access-date=5 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930111308/http://www.rezapahlavi.org/details_article.php?english&article=535|archive-date=30 September 2011}}</ref>
** Iryana Leila Pahlavi (born 26 July 2011)
* Princess [[Leila Pahlavi]] of Iran (27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001)

==As queen and empress==
{{multiple image
|align = right
|total_width = 230px
|perrow = 1/1
|image1 = Fpkermanshah.jpg
|caption1 = The Queen photographed while on a visit to [[Kermanshah]], Iran, 1963
|image2 = Fpkavir.jpg
|caption2 = The Empress during a visit to Kavir, Iran, 1974
}}

The exact role the new queen would play, in public or government affairs, was uncertain with her main role being simply to give the Shah a male heir.<ref name="auto">Zonis, Marvin ''Majestic Failure The Fall of the Shah'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991 page 138.</ref> Within the Imperial Household, her public function was secondary to the far more pressing matter of assuring the succession. However, after the birth of the Crown Prince, the Queen was free to devote more of her time to other activities and official pursuits.

Like many other royal consorts, Farah initially limited herself to a ceremonial role. In 1961 during a visit to France, the [[Francophile]] Farah befriended the French culture minister [[André Malraux]], leading her to arrange the exchange of cultural artifacts between French and Iranian art galleries and museums, a lively trade that continued until the Islamic revolution of 1979.<ref>Milani, Abbas ''The Shah'', London: Macmillan, 2011 page 279</ref> She spent much of her time attending the openings of various education and health-care institutions without venturing too deeply into controversial issues. However, as time progressed, this position changed. The Queen became much more actively involved in government affairs where it concerned issues and causes that interested her. She used her proximity and influence with her husband Mohammad Reza, to secure funding and focus attention on causes, particularly in the areas of women's rights and cultural development.<ref name="auto"/> Farah's concerns were the "realms of education, health, culture and social matters" with politics being excluded from her purview.<ref name="auto"/>

One of Farah's main initiatives was founding Pahlavi University (now [[Shiraz University]]), which was meant to improve the education of Iranian women, and was the first American-style university in Iran; before then, Iranian universities had always been modeled on the French style.<ref name="auto"/> The Empress wrote in 1978 that her duties were:

[[File:Empress Farah Office.jpg|thumb|left|The Empress photographed while working in her office in [[Tehran]], {{Circa|1970s}}]]

<blockquote>I could not write in detail of all the organizations over which I preside and in which I take a very active part, in the realms of education, health, culture and social matters. It would need a further book. A simple list would perhaps give some idea: the Organization for Family Well Being-nurseries for the children of working mothers, teaching women and girls to read, professional training, family planning; the Organization for Blood Transfusion; the Organization for the Fight Against Cancer; the Organization for Help to the Needy, the Health Organization&nbsp;... the Children's Centre; the Centre for the Intellectual Development of Children&nbsp;... the Imperial Institute of Philosophy; the Foundation for Iranian Culture; the Festival of Shiraz, the Tehran Cinema Festival; the Iranian Folklore Organization; the Asiatic Institute; the Civilisations Discussion Centre; the Pahlavi University; the Academy of Sciences.<ref name="auto"/></blockquote>

Farah worked long hours at her charitable activities, from about 9&nbsp;am to 9&nbsp;pm every weekday.<ref name="auto"/> Eventually, the Queen came to preside over a staff of 40 who handled various requests for assistance on a range of issues. She became one of the most highly visible figures in the Imperial Government and the patron of 24 educational, health and cultural organizations.<ref name="auto"/> Her humanitarian role earned her immense popularity for a time, particularly in the early 1970s.<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945049-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703000025/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945049-2,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 July 2009| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|title=The World: Farah: The Working Empress|date=4 November 1974}}</ref> During this period, she travelled a great deal within Iran, visiting some of the more remote parts of the country and meeting with the local citizens.


Farah's significance was exemplified by her part in the 1967 Coronation Ceremonies, where she was crowned as the first ''[[shahbanu]]'' (empress) of modern Iran. It was again confirmed when the Shah named her as the official [[regent]] should he die or be incapacitated before the Crown Prince's 21st birthday. The naming of a woman as regent was highly unusual for a Middle Eastern or Muslim monarchy.<ref name="Time"/> The great wealth generated by Iran's oil encouraged a sense of Iranian nationalism at the Imperial Court. The Empress recalled of her days as a university student in 1950s France about being asked where she was from:

<blockquote>When I told them Iran&nbsp;... the Europeans would recoil in horror as if Iranians were barbarians and loathsome. But after Iran became wealthy under the Shah in the 1970s, Iranians were courted everywhere. Yes, Your Majesty. Of course, Your Majesty. If you please, Your Majesty. Fawning all over us. Greedy sycophants. Then they loved Iranians.<ref>Zonis, Marvin ''Majestic Failure The Fall of the Shah'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991 page 221.</ref></blockquote>

==Contributions to art and culture==
[[File:Fpresayeh.jpg|thumb|left|Farah visiting an orphanage in Iran, {{Circa|1968}}]]
From the beginning of her royal life, Farah took an active interest in promoting culture and the arts in Iran. Through her patronage, numerous organizations were created and fostered to further her ambition of bringing historical and contemporary Iranian Art to prominence both inside Iran and in the Western world.

[[File:SoadHosny-FarahPahlavi.jpg|thumb|Farah shaking hands with Egyptian actress [[Soad Hosny]] and Egyptian writer [[Youssef Francis]] in the  [[Tehran International Film Festival]], 1973<ref>{{Cite web |title=Souad 'The Cinderella' Hosny's Most Loved Looks Throughout the Years |url=https://cairoscene.com/Styled/Souad-The-Cinderella-Hosny-s-Most-Loved-Looks-Throughout-the-Years |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=CairoScene}}</ref>]]
In addition to her own efforts, Farah sought to achieve this goal with the assistance of various foundations and advisers. Her ministry encouraged many forms of artistic expression, including traditional Iranian arts (such as weaving, singing, and poetry recital) as well as Western theatre. Her most recognized endeavour in supporting the performing arts was her patronage of the [[Shiraz Arts Festival]]. This occasionally controversial event was held annually from 1967 until 1977 and featured live performances by both Iranian and Western artists.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Shiraz Arts Festival: Western Avant-Garde Arts in 1970s Iran |journal=Leonardo |volume=40 |pages=20–28 |first=Robert |last=Gluck |doi=10.1162/leon.2007.40.1.20 |year=2007 |s2cid=57561105 }}</ref>

The majority of her time, however, went into the creation of museums and the building of their collections.

As a former architecture student, Farah's appreciation of it is demonstrated in the [[Niavaran Complex|Royal Palace of Niavaran]], designed by Mohsen Foroughi, and completed in 1968: it mixes traditional Iranian architecture with 1960's contemporary design. Nearby is the personal library of the Empress, consisting of 22,000 books, comprising principally works on Western and Eastern art, philosophy and religion; the interior was designed by Aziz Farmanfarmayan.

===Ancient art===
Historically a culturally rich country, the Iran of the 1960s had little to show for it. Many of the great artistic treasures produced during its 2,500-year history had found their way into the hands of foreign museums and private collections. It became one of Farah's principal goals to procure for Iran an appropriate collection of its own historic artifacts. To that end, she secured from her husband's government permission and funds to "buy back" a wide selection of Iranian artifacts from foreign and domestic collections. This was achieved with the help of the brothers Houshang and Mehdi Mahboubian, the most prominent Iranian antiquities dealers of the era, who advised the Empress from 1972 to 1978.<ref name="independent.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art-market-mysterious-gifts-from-the-east-who-is-the-man-who-has-collected-islams-finest-treasures-and-offered-them-to-britain-as-a-pounds-1bn-bequest-geraldine-norman-finds-out-1563284.html|work=The Independent|location=London|title=Mysterious gifts from the East| date=13 December 1