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1001 Days: Memoirs of an Empress
This memoir by empress Farah Pahlavi looks back on her reign over an Iran so modern it is unrecognizable today―written just a few years before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. “Beautifully written, intelligent and insightful, the memoirs of Farah Diba Pahlavi open a window on the life of one of the great women of our time and offer a unique perspective on the extraordinary country over which she and her husband reigned before darkness fell.” ―Bob Colacello, founding editor Interview magazine At the time I wrote my memoir, I had no idea what was to come . . . Empress Farah Pahlavi was the first crowned empress of Iran, little did she know she would also be the last. This memoir was written in 1976, at the height of her reign on the glittering peacock throne. The candid words reveal her vision for a better Iran, without any idea of what history would bring―the end of the fairy tale. Farah Pahlavi helped usher in a modern Iran now lost to the sands of time.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published November 16, 2021
4 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Emperess Farah Pahlavi
3 books80 followersHer Imperial Majesty Farah Pahlavi, Shahbanou of Iran was born in Tehran on October 14, 1938, the only child of Mr. Sohrab Diba and Farideh Diba Ghotbi .
Following the death of her father in 1947, Farah Pahlavi was educated at the Italian School and later the Jeanne D’Arc School. She obtained her baccalaureate from the Lycee Razi, a secular Persian and French High School in Tehran.
Farah Pahlavi was studying architecture in Paris in 1959 when she was introduced to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran at an embassy reception. The couple’s engagement was announced on December 1 and they were married three weeks later. Empress Farah gave birth to Crown Prince Reza in 1960, Princess Farahnaz in 1963, Prince Alireza in 1966 and Princess Leila in 1970.
In the 1960s and ‘70s Empress Farah traveled widely within Iran to support her husband’s social and economic reforms to advance the rights of women and children, the disabled and the handicapped, culture and the arts, science and medicine, and architecture and the environment. Under the patronage of the Farah Pahlavi Foundation she financially supported a network of museums, art centers and dozens of charities. She worked tirelessly to champion Iranian culture and the arts and to encourage community-based village enterprises to revitalize traditional handicrafts. She established a series of landmark events to celebrate contemporary and modern Iranian art and culture including the Shiraz Festival of Arts, the Isfahan Festival of Popular Traditions, the Kerman Traditional Music Festival, the Tehran International Film Festival and the Children’s Film Festival. Empress Farah spearheaded an effort to promote children’s literacy by establishing children’s libraries in the cities and the countryside. She put her training as an architect to good use when she lobbied to save mosques and historic buildings from demolition, and by preserving open land from development so that parks and green spaces became a feature of crowded urban centers. She headed up the South Tehran Redevelopment Corporation which aimed to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions in Tehran’s southern suburbs.
Empress Farah broke many barriers during her two decades on the throne. She was Iran’s first crowned female sovereign and the first woman crowned anywhere in the Muslim world. She was the first woman in a Muslim country to publicly donate blood. As her husband’s ambassador abroad, Empress Farah represented Iran in countries as varied as China, the United States and Senegal, delivering major policy addresses and attending international conferences. Empress Farah is most proud of her ground-breaking work on behalf of Iran’s lepers who had previously been subjected to discrimination. The Empress visited leper colonies in the late sixties and persuaded her husband to donate a parcel of land so that the lepers could be housed in a model community, receive an education and earn a working wage. She invited medical specialists from around the world to come to Iran to work with the lepers and advocated community-based methods to help them. Empress Farah’s efforts to change popular perceptions about leprosy were recognized internationally as a force for progressive change.
On January 16, 1979, Empress Farah and the Shah left Iran for exile. Today she divides her time between France and the United States where her children and grandchildren live. She continues to work and speak out on behalf of her signature causes and is an enthusiastic supporter of Iranian artists and writers. She closely follows events back in Iran and is in daily contact with compatriots who write and express their support and friendship. Empress Farah has received numerous honorary doctorates and diplomas by many international institutions. She is also the recipient of numerous awards for her humanitarian efforts.
Following the death of her father in 1947, Farah Pahlavi was educated at the Italian School and later the Jeanne D’Arc School. She obtained her baccalaureate from the Lycee Razi, a secular Persian and French High School in Tehran.
Farah Pahlavi was studying architecture in Paris in 1959 when she was introduced to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran at an embassy reception. The couple’s engagement was announced on December 1 and they were married three weeks later. Empress Farah gave birth to Crown Prince Reza in 1960, Princess Farahnaz in 1963, Prince Alireza in 1966 and Princess Leila in 1970.
In the 1960s and ‘70s Empress Farah traveled widely within Iran to support her husband’s social and economic reforms to advance the rights of women and children, the disabled and the handicapped, culture and the arts, science and medicine, and architecture and the environment. Under the patronage of the Farah Pahlavi Foundation she financially supported a network of museums, art centers and dozens of charities. She worked tirelessly to champion Iranian culture and the arts and to encourage community-based village enterprises to revitalize traditional handicrafts. She established a series of landmark events to celebrate contemporary and modern Iranian art and culture including the Shiraz Festival of Arts, the Isfahan Festival of Popular Traditions, the Kerman Traditional Music Festival, the Tehran International Film Festival and the Children’s Film Festival. Empress Farah spearheaded an effort to promote children’s literacy by establishing children’s libraries in the cities and the countryside. She put her training as an architect to good use when she lobbied to save mosques and historic buildings from demolition, and by preserving open land from development so that parks and green spaces became a feature of crowded urban centers. She headed up the South Tehran Redevelopment Corporation which aimed to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions in Tehran’s southern suburbs.
Empress Farah broke many barriers during her two decades on the throne. She was Iran’s first crowned female sovereign and the first woman crowned anywhere in the Muslim world. She was the first woman in a Muslim country to publicly donate blood. As her husband’s ambassador abroad, Empress Farah represented Iran in countries as varied as China, the United States and Senegal, delivering major policy addresses and attending international conferences. Empress Farah is most proud of her ground-breaking work on behalf of Iran’s lepers who had previously been subjected to discrimination. The Empress visited leper colonies in the late sixties and persuaded her husband to donate a parcel of land so that the lepers could be housed in a model community, receive an education and earn a working wage. She invited medical specialists from around the world to come to Iran to work with the lepers and advocated community-based methods to help them. Empress Farah’s efforts to change popular perceptions about leprosy were recognized internationally as a force for progressive change.
On January 16, 1979, Empress Farah and the Shah left Iran for exile. Today she divides her time between France and the United States where her children and grandchildren live. She continues to work and speak out on behalf of her signature causes and is an enthusiastic supporter of Iranian artists and writers. She closely follows events back in Iran and is in daily contact with compatriots who write and express their support and friendship. Empress Farah has received numerous honorary doctorates and diplomas by many international institutions. She is also the recipient of numerous awards for her humanitarian efforts.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 8, 2022
so crazy how i didn’t know anything about Farah Pahlavi before reading this and she’s such a remarkable person. reading the last chapter made me so sad :(
March 5, 2025
Written while Farah Pahlavi was still Empress of Iran, this book shows us a unique viewpoint. We learn a little of Farah's early life, her whirlwind courtship and marriage, and her introduction into official duties. I'm glad this book has been reprinted. It shows us just how far the country of Iran has gone backwards. I enjoyed reading some of the little anecdotes that Farah tells about her travels abroad and meeting various world leaders. A particularly amusing one for me involves US President Kennedy.
This book is also, at times, very poetic. Good reading.
This book is also, at times, very poetic. Good reading.
March 18, 2025
This book was written exactly a year before the 1979 revolution in Iran but has only recently been published. It provides an informative account from the inside, highlighting the struggles of a respectful and loving patriotic family that worked tirelessly for the prosperity of their country despite foreign interference and the sabotage of traitors. It is a must-read for all Iranians.
Read
October 28, 2024Seems like a brief from her other dairies published, very similar content.
Very involved with many affairs in Iran, but might sound out of touch at parts. Yet cannot judge with my limited knowledge on the welfare of public at the time.
Very involved with many affairs in Iran, but might sound out of touch at parts. Yet cannot judge with my limited knowledge on the welfare of public at the time.
Want to read
February 15, 2023I like to read this book but I'm not sure if there's a Persian translation of this book. If anyone knows i will be happy to help me find it. Thanks a lot 🌹
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews