Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran

Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran

Zahra Sultan ‘Izzat al-Saltanah to Ma‘sumah Nizam Mafi

Zahra Sultan ‘Izzat al-Saltanah to Ma‘sumah Nizam Mafi

Zahra Sultan Nizam Mafi (‘Izzat al-Saltanah) writes to her sister, Ma‘sumah Nizam Mafi, asking her to send a photograph of Manizhah and promising to send a photograph of ‘Izzi. ‘Izzat al-Saltanah also advises her sister to send some of her servants to learn to make some dishes and desserts from the new, skilled chef hired by the Hazrat-i Ashraf household. She mentions that she, herself, is learning some recipes from the cooks in addition to the dessert recipes she learned in Hamadan. She finds this particularly helpful in Tehran, as the kitchen would be in the andarun and she does not believe the female cooks are as good; she included the letters from Huma and Taj al-Muluk in the same envelope. ‘Izzat al-Saltanah also added a note regarding the relatives of the late Fath Allah Khan, who were sent to Tehran by Amir Jalal. She also asks her sister to report the aggressive behavior of Nasr Allah Khan to Hazrat-i Ashraf; Nasr Allah Khan beat his mother because she did not let him sell her clothing to spend the money for his own pleasure, and would have choked her if his sisters had not stopped him.

Item Details

  • Creator Zahra Sultan ʻIzzat al-Saltanah
  • Date 20th century
  • Dimensions 21.5 x 26 cm
  • Collections Mansoureh Ettehadieh -- ‘Izzat al-Saltanah
  • Repository Mansoureh Ettehadieh
  • Restrictions No restrictions
  • Accessed 26 August 2015
  • Last Edited 9 December 2016
  • Record no. 13104A1
  •