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The Qajar's titles:

 

The Qajars (Kadjars) adopted and adapted many of the appellations and titles current in their time in the Islamic world. However, today many of the appellations and titles the Qajars (Kadjars) used in their time have come to be uniquely and exclusively associated with them. (* Asterisk denotes terms not exclusive to Qajars (Kadjars).)

Shaah* = Persian for "King."

Malekeh* = Persian for "Queen." Used as title and name by Malekeh Jahaan, (lit. "World Queen"), wife of Mohammad Ali Shah, mother of Soltan Ahmad Shah, and grandmother of Soltan Ali Mirza Kadjar, the current head of the Imperial Kadjar House.

Soltaan* (pl. Salatin) = Persian spelling/pronunciation of Arabic for king. In its Arabic spelling, "Sultaan," adopted by the Ottomans as the exclusive title of their kings. In the case of Soltan Ahmad Shah and other members of the Imperial Household it is part of their name; e.g., Soltan Hamid Mirza, Soltan Mahmoud Mirza, etc. ... Today, in its Arabic spelling, adopted by Arab and Asian Emirs as part of their titles; e.g., Sultan Qabus, the Sultan of Brunei, etc. ...

Padeshah* = same as "shah"; king.

Shahanshah* = Lit. Shah of Shahs, i.e. Emperor. Title claimed by Qajar (Kadjar) rulers as they were still indeed rulers over several local shahs and as they saw themselves as successors to the Safavid Empire.

Mahd-e-Oliaa' = "Queen Mother." Title associated with some Qajar (Kadjar) queens, especially Fath Ali Shah's mother and Nasser-ed-Din Shah's mother. Lit. Mahd = hearth or cradle; Olia' = most high; thus = "most high hearth or cradle" or "most high life giving place" (i.e., place from whence one is born) and thus more elegantly translated as "Sublime Cradle." Hence the title bearer is the mother of the next Shah.

Malekeh Jahaan = " World Queen," title shared by Nasser-ed-Din Shah's mother and Mohammad 'Ali Shah's wife. In actuality, and as a coincidence, Jahaan Khanoum was Kamran Mirza's daughter's name, and when she became queen she naturally was called Queen Jahaan. However, Queen Jahaan also can be interpreted as Malekeh-ye Jahaan or "Queen of the World."

A'laa Hazrat* = "Your Most High Majesty" in reference to the king. Appellation of Persian/Iranian kings.

Oliaa' Hazrat* = Lit. "Your Most High Majesty" in reference to the Queen. Title specifically created for Malekeh Jahan.

Khaan*= Leader (usually tribal leader).

Shaahzaadeh = Prince (lit. "born of a king" i.e., "of kingly birth or parentage").(9)

Shaazdeh = familiar form of Shaahzaadeh = Prince. Colloquial term used exclusively in reference to Qajar (Kadjar) princes

Baanou*: Lady.

Khaanoum: Lady. If after the given names of a Qajar (Kadjar) Imperial princess, and princesses generally, it means "princess" in the same way "Mirza" means "prince" after the given name of a Qajar (Kadjar) prince.

Mirza*= Persian term, short for "Amirzadeh" lit. "born of a prince" i.e., "son of a prince." Though used before the Qajars (Kadjars) by earlier Iranian and Mughal dynasties as a title, the term has come to be associated almost exclusively with the meaning of "Qajar Prince." However, the term means "prince" only if it occurs after the first name of the individual; i.e., Abbas Mirza, Kamran Mirza ..., but not Mirza Aghassi, in which case it refers to something akin to "secretary," or learned man, i.e., a job title.

Naayeb-saltaneh = lit. "Viceroy;" i.e., "Regent." Used in this meaning mostly in the case of Abbas Mirza Nayeb-saltaneh, Fath Ali Shah's son and Crown Prince. Also used for Kamran Mirza Nayeb-saltaneh, Nasser-ed-Din Shah's son. The title Nayeb-Saltaneh and the title Valiahd were separated from the time of Nasser-ed-Din Shah. Before, the two titles were, by definition, borne by the same person.

Valiahd* = Crown Prince

Hazrat-e Ellieh = "Your Highness." Appellation of Qajar (Kadjar) princesses.

Hazrat-e Ellieh Aallieh = Same as Hazrat-e Aghdass-e Vaalaa below, but used for Imperial Princesses.

Hazrat-e Vaalaa = "Your Highness." Appellation of Qajar (Kadjar) princes.

Hazrat-e Aghdass = Same as above, but also used more generally for prominent Qajar (Kadjar) princes.

Hazrat-e Aghdass-e Vaalaa = Same as above, only with more emphasis and only used for Imperial Princes.

Vaala' Hazrat* = Same as above, but in Qajar (Kadjar) terminology only used for the Valiahd.

Hazrat-e Ashraf = Title of Qajar (Kadjar) Prime Ministers.

Hazrat-e Ajal = Your Excellency.

Qebleh-ye Aalam = composite term; "Qebleh" = Persian for direction of prayer for Muslims (i.e., the direction of Mecca on the compass); "Aalam" = Universe; thus "Direction of Orientation of the Universe," or, more elegantly put "Pivot of the Universe," the title of Prof. Abbas Amanat's book on Nasser-ed-Din Shah. This title is specifically associated with Nasser-ed-Din Shah.

Saaheb-Gheraan = Lit. "Holder of two Centuries" (i.e., "two centuries old"); Title of both Fath' Ali Shah and Nasser-ed-Din Shah. Of course, these kings were not two centuries old, i.e. they were not two hundred years old. The discrepancy has to do with the fact that in old Farsi, qarn or gharn ("century" in English) referred to not one hundred years but thirty years! Thus the above named kings, upon reaching sixty years of age were entitled to this appellation. It indicates advanced age, and presumably, the wisdom that goes with it! Gheran or qeran, is the dual plural of qarn; it means "two qarns (centuries)". However, there is also another interpretation for this term. Gharn could also refer to forty eight lunar years. Thus a ruler who passes that mark in terms of length of rulership is titled "Saaheb Gheraan," or having achieved rulership for more than one "century" and thus entitled to the appellation of ruling over two "centuries." This is the interpretation was suggested by Malekeh Jahan to her grand-son Soltan Ali Mirza Kadjar.

Ataabak = Term of Turkic origin, used among Turkomans. Honorific title of the Prime Minister of the Qajars (Kadjars).

Ataabak-e Azam = Same as above. The suffix "Azam" means "supreme," (lat. primus), thus Prime Minister, e.g. Amin-e-Soltan, Atabak-e Azam, Mohammad Ali Shah's prime minister, whose assassination leads the Shah down the road to opposition with the constitutional assembly, the Majles.

Sadr-e Azam = Same as above.

Aagha Khaan = Honorific title bestowed by Fath Ali Shah on his son-in-law Hassan Ali Shah (ca.1800-1881), the leader of the Ismailis of Iran. Agha Khan means "dear sir," and is thus both a term of endearment and an honorific title. (See also section on Qajars and Agha Khans in these pages.)

Baabaa Khaan = Term of endearment used by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (Kadjar) for his nephew and crown prince Fath Ali Mirza, later Fath Ali Shah Qajar (Kadjar).

Zell-e Soltaan = Honorific appellation, lit. "Soltan's Shadow," specific to Nasser-ed-Din Shah's eldest son, Mass'ud Mirza Zell-e Soltan (Zill-i Sultan), brother of Mozaffar-ed-din Shah, who, according to the law of succession decreed by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (Kadjar), could not be crown prince because his mother was not a Qajar (Kadjar) princess.

Nosrat-Dowleh: Hereditary man's title "Victory of the Government."

Ezzat-Dowleh or Ezzat-Saltaneh: Hereditary woman's title "Cherished of the Crown." Princess Ezzat-Dowleh was Mozaffar-ed-Din Shah's daughter, wife of Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farman Farma and mother of Firouz Mirza "Nosrat-Dowleh."

Fakhr-ed-Dowleh = Hereditary woman's title "Pride of the Crown." Princess Fakhr-ed-Dowleh was Mozaffar-ed-Din Shah's daughter and wife of Amin-ed-Dowleh II, of whom the Amini family are descendants.

Taj-Saltaneh: (Tadj-al-Saltaneh) Hereditary woman's title "Crown of the Crown"! (Name of Nasser-ed-Din Shah's daughter.)

Farman Farma: Hereditary man's title "Commander of Commanders," lit. "He who gives commands." Especially, but not exclusively, associated with Prince Abdol Hossein Farman Farma and his descendants.

...-dowleh = (suffix) Honorific titles, usually non-hereditary, granted by Qajar (Kadjar) shahs. The term literally means "of the government" (government="dowlat" in Persian), but figuratively refers to the shah who is the bestower of this title. Therefore titles ending with this term refer to official positions within the court or the government, though not always. Examples: Ala'-ed-dowleh, Eyn-ed-dowleh, Vossough-Dowleh, Arfa'-ed-dowleh, etc. ... Many of these titles will become the bases for last names in twentieth century Iran, when Reza Shah Pahlavi decreed last names to be mandatory to modernize the country along Turkish and European lines. Thus: Vossough, Arfa, etc. ...

...-saltaneh = (suffix) Honorific titles, usually nonhereditary, granted by Qajar (Kadjar) shahs. The term literally means "of the monarchy" (monarchy="saltanat" in Persian), but figuratively refers to the shah who is the bestower of this title. Therefore titles ending with this term refer to official positions within the court or the government, though not always. Examples: Ghavam-saltaneh, etc. ...

...-soltaan = (suffix) Honorific titles, usually nonhereditary, granted by Qajar (Kadjar) shahs. The term literally means "monarch," and thus refers specifically to the shah who is the bestower of this title. Thus: Yamin-e-soltan, Amin-soltan, etc. ...

...-molk = (suffix) Honorific titles, usually nonhereditary, granted by Qajar (Kadjar) shahs. The term literally means "realm," and thus refers to the country and its glory, but figuratively again refers to the shah who is the bestower of this title. Thus: Hakimol-molk, Azadol-molk, etc. ...

...-mamaalek = (suffix) pl. of "molk." Same as above. Example: Mostowfi-al-Mamalek

Malek- ... = (prefix) "Of the Shah." Example: Malek-Mansour

Sardaar-e ... = lit. "Leader or Holder of heads;" Military title usually accompanied by the area over which this individual had jurisdiction; e.g., Sardar-e Jang; Sardar-e Sepah; etc. ...

Sardaar-e Azam = lit. "Chief or Greatest among Leaders." Military title, equivalent to "Commander in Chief."

Sepah-Salaar = lit. "Leader of the Military." Military title, equivalent to "Commander in Chief."

Amoghli = "Cousin." Shortened form of "Amou Gholi" lit. "little uncle" in Turkic. Masculine term of Turkic/Turkoman origin. Term of endearment among Qajar (Kadjar) princes and princesses, in reference to other princes.

Amghezi = "Cousin." Shortened form of "Ammeh Ghezi" lit. "little aunt" in Turkic. Feminine term of Turkic/Turkoman origin. Term of endearment among Qajar (Kadjar) princes and princesses, in reference to other princesses.

 

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