Gowhar Qajar (Persian: گوهر قاجار; died circa 1901), also known as Hajieh Gowhar (حاجیه گوهر),[1] was a writer, poet, and calligrapher of the Qajar era who was also familiar with astronomy.[1][2] She was known by the title Shams al-Shu'ara (شمسالشعراء; lit. Sun of the Poets). She is recognized as one of the first female astronomers in Iran and the author of the book Gowhariyeh.[3][4][5]
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Biography
editGowhar lived in Isfahan during the reigns of Mohammad Shah and Naser al-Din Shah and was knowledgeable in various sciences, including astronomy.[6][7]Her mother was Tayghun Khanum,[7] the daughter of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, and her father was Musa Khan Qavanlu.[6] Gowhar was bold and skilled in poetry, especially in composing odes, which was a remarkable feat in that male-dominated era.[8][9] She honed her poetic talents in the school of Qa’ani, adopting the Iraqi style in her odes, the Saadi style in her ghazals, and sometimes following the style of Hafez.[6][10]
The themes of her poems, which were compiled in a book titled Divan-e Gowhar or Gowhariyeh,[5] mostly revolved around the praise of Shia Imams, Naser al-Din Shah, and her mother, Malek Jahan Khanom.[9] Gowhariyeh contained 6,000 verses in various forms, including odes, ghazals, quatrains, qit'ahs, and mathnawis.[5][10] This book was published in Isfahan in 1941 (1320 AH) by order of Ahmad Khan Fateh and was penned by Esmaeil bin Ahmad Khansari.[11]
In the preface of her poetry collection, which was published in Isfahan in 1902 (1320 AH) with the support of Ahmad Fateh al-Molk,[11] it is mentioned that Malek Jahan Khanom, the mother of Naser al-Din Shah, requested her to compose a poem in praise of Fatimah and recite it at a gathering held for that occasion.[12] Her success, described in the text as eloquence and fluency, led to her fame, and Naser al-Din Shah bestowed upon her the title "Shams al-Shu'ara" (Sun of the Poets).[12][5]
The text states that she no longer composed poetry after Malek Jahan Khanom.[11] It also mentions that she was alive until 1901 (1319 AH) when her collection of poems was handed over to the publisher.[12][11]Since in this preface, the author, Gowhar Qajar, is mentioned using the past tense, her death likely occurred a year before the book's publication and almost simultaneously with the submission of the work to Fateh al-Molk in 1901.[12][11]
Resources
edit- ^ a b Dehkhoda, Ali Akbar: Dehkhoda Dictionary (Digital version, https://dehkhoda.ut.ac.ir) based on the 15-volume physical edition published in 1998. Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute and the International Center for Persian Language Studies, University of Tehran, 2020.
- ^ "۱۰۰ زن نخست ایران در حوزههای مختلف" [The First 100 Iranian Women in Various Fields.]. BBC News فارسی (in Persian). 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Hejazi, Banafsha. Tazkerah Andaruni. p. 192.
- ^ "Gawhariyah". Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran.
- ^ a b c d Khayrat-é Hésan. Etemad al-Saltaneh. 1928 (1307 AH).
- ^ a b c Athar Afarinan. Vol. 1 and 6. Cultural Heritage and Honors Organization.
- ^ a b Azod od-Dowleh, Soltan-Ahmad Mirza (1997). Tarikh-e Azodi (in Persian). Elm Pub. ISBN 9786005696325.
- ^ Farhi, Houman (2003). Encyclopedia of Iranian Women. First Edition. Center for Women's Participation Affairs, Presidential Office. p. 793. ISBN 9789645515407.
- ^ a b Rouhangiz Karachi (2006). Constitutional Era and Women Poets. Rudaki.
- ^ a b "قصیدهای که مادر ناصرالدین شاه را متحول کرد" [The Ode That Transformed Naser al-Din Shah's Mother.]. IRNA (in Persian). 2019-12-12.
- ^ a b c d e Journal of Academic Library and Information Studies, Issue 19, February 1992. Author: Mafi, Abbas.
- ^ a b c d "Shams al-Shu'ara, Gawhar. Gohariyah." Harvard.