Zainab Pasha

Zainab Pasha (Persian: زینب پاشا) was an Iranian woman who lived during the Qajar dynasty in late 19th century.

She is most notable for her role in the Tobacco Protest, the beginning of the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, for leading a group of women in an uprising in the city of Tabriz by attacking wealthy merchants.

In the winter, government officials sold the wheat to the poor at high prices which created an artificial famine.

During the reign of Nasir al-Din Shah c. 1834, the artificial famine reached its peak, and the poor people of the city had great difficulty.

One of the important factors of the Tabriz Women's Movement led by Zainab was the overwhelming tyranny of some princes and rulers of the Qajar period in Azerbaijan.

When Naser al-Din Shah Qajar gave the tobaccos to the British, the people of Azerbaijan wanted to prevent this cycle from proceeding forward.

During those days, Hajji Mirza Javad, a well-known political cleric, sent his disciples to the market and invited the people to close their stores.

So this brought some dozen brave women under the leadership and command of Zainab Pasha to fight and get the market back to the people.

[5] Finally, because of the intense opposition of the people, Nasir al-Din Shah was forced to cancel the tobacco credits that was given to Britain.

It was also said that Zainab along with her women combatants appeared in many streets and places encouraging the people especially the men to fight against oppression.

She once said to the men that if you don’t dare and are afraid to fight the thieves and looters that are stealing your wealth and honor of your homeland, then take the women's veil and sit in the house.

Most of the time, people had to wait in long queues, in front of the bakeries, just to buy a piece of bread which was also very expensive.

[7] Another important operation of Zainab Pasha and her followers was the confiscation of Mirza Abdul Rahim’s warehouse who was the deputy ambassador of Azerbaijan.

It seems that Zainab had died during her last visit, and her body was never transferred to Tabriz and her birthplace, Amuzin Al-Din, and was buried in Karbala.

Mirza Farrokh, was a poet, who himself witnessed Zainab's struggles and wrote many Turkish poems about her so that the people of Tabriz could understand.