Jeyran (wife of Naser al-Din Shah)

Jeyran (Persian: جیران; born Khadijeh Khanum Tajrishi (خدیجه خانم تجریشی), c. 1831–1860) was one of the beloved wives and first mistress of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (r. 1848–1896).

Although he had no maternal Qajar ancestor, with a fake lineage made for Jeyran which linked her to Sasanids and Ilkhanate, he became crown prince, but shortly got sick and died.

According to the modern historian Abbas Amanat, Jeyran was first brought to the royal palace to learn singing and dancing, and for the first time Naser al-Din Shah saw her among the servants of his mother, Malek Jahan Khanom, and fell in love with her.

According to her, the Shah, who had met a group of girls under a berry tree during his outing, including Jeyran, was seduced by her black eyes and sent his eunuchs to ask her name and find her father.

[9] In the ceremony that was organized on the occasion of this marriage, Malek Jahan Khanom, the mother of Naser al-Din Shah, was not present, which was a sign of her opposition and enmity with Jeyran.

[10] One year after Jeyran married Naser al-Din Shah, her first child, Soltan Mohammad Mirza, was born and died eight days later.

[12] But Jeyran's non-Qajar lineage prevented this decision from being implemented, as it was the tradition that the Qajar shahs be of their tribe ancestry in both paternal and maternal lines.

He also asked Jakob Eduard Polak, a court physician, to confirm that Mozaffar al-Din Mirza, who was considered a legal choice for crown prince, was physically and mentally weak and didn't deserve to ascend to be king.

[16] Concerned about his opponents' conspiracies, Jeyran refused to admit doctors to his son's bedside, and Mohammad Qasem Mirza died just one week after becoming crown prince.

Naser al-Din Shah went to her bed several times a day for several hours and administered the medicine with his own hands, but her condition gradually got worse and the medical treatment did not help.

According to Abbas Amanat, "the Shah's attachment to Jeyran was the routine of ordinary love in the modern age and, conversely, the collective life of the harem was individual and private.

[26] In Iranian popular culture, Jeyran and Naser al-Din Shah were introduced as a symbol of love and are often compared to Khosrow and Shirin.

[clarification needed][27] The reason why Naser al-Din Shah took refuge in his harem for the rest of his life is also considered to be the result of Jeyran's death.

Naser al-Din Shah in 1852
The wedding of Naser al-Din Shah and Jeyran in 1851. Amir Kabir , Naser al-Din Shah's chief minister at the time, is also depicted. Oil on canvas created by Hossein Qollar-Aqasi , Iran, first half of the 20th century