Zia ol-Saltaneh (1799–1873; Persian: ضیاء السلطنه), also known as Shah Begum Khanum, was a Persian calligrapher and poet. The seventh most senior daughter of the second Qajar ruler of Iran, Fath-ʿAli Shah, she served as private secretary to her father. The name usually used for her, Ziaʾ al-Saltaneh, meaning "Light of the Realm", was given to her by her father, and is an indication of his great love and respect for her.
Family
Zia ol-Saltaneh's mother was Maryam Khanom, 39th wife of Fath-ʿAli Shah. From a Jewish family from Mazandaran, she was first married to Agha Muhammad Khan, uncle of Fath-ʿAli Shah and first of the Qajar rulers. Zia ol-Saltaneh had four full brothers, Mahmud Mirza, Homayun Mirza, Ahmad-ʿAli Mirza, and Jahanshah Mirza, and one full sister, Sultan Begum. Later in life, she married Mirza Masʿud Garmrudi, then Minister of Foreign Affairs to Fath-ʿAli Shah's successor, Muhammad Shah. She was not raised by her own mother, but by the Shah's mother, the Mahd-i ʿOlya ('the Lofty Cradle'), Asiyeh Khanum. On the death of her grandmother, she inherited all of her jewels and other precious items. Ziaʾ al-Saltaneh would have four children of her own: Shahanshah Begum (b. ca. 1836; also known as Agha Jan), a second daughter, Mirza Hasan Khan (b.1839), and Mirza Husayn Khan (b.1843). She lived outside of the harem in her own apartments, a situation indicative of her high status. She also had her own minister, Shaʿban-ʿAli Khan.
Position at court
Zia ol-Saltaneh was involved in many significant aspects of the running of her father's court. It is clear that she was particularly involved in the economic life of the court. For example, it is reported that when the Shah wanted to bestow a gift upon one of his harem, Zia ol-Saltaneh would write to the Khazen al-Dowleh (State Treasurer), then Golbadan Baji, one of the wives of Fath-ʿAli, to report the gift, so that it could be properly recorded in the documentation of the treasury. There are records of anecdotes indicating that she shared the responsibility for the funds of the harem. For example, she was responsible for controlling the gambling funds of the princes - she would give them sums which they would have to pay back with interest. In addition to these responsibilities, as her father's favourite, she would organise his birthday celebrations, and every year on the occasion Fath-ʿAli would gift her a set of jewels. It is known that she owned property, which is suggestive of her personal wealth.
Perhaps most significantly, she acted as scribe for her father, with the title Munshi al-Mamalek-i Andarun, writing his personal letters for him. She also had control over the royal decrees issued from the harem. She was a highly skilled calligrapher, and produced a number of copies of the Qur'an, as well as other works such as collections of poetry, prayers, and pilgrimage texts. She was taught initially by her brother Maḥmud Mirza, but was later tutored by Mirza ʿAbbas Nuri (d.1839). In addition to her scribal duties, she would recite the poems sent to her father in his praise. She also seems to have been a patron of poetry, as the poet Rashha (b. circa 1783) composed poems in her praise.
Her brothers are reported to have had as much respect for her as her father did. Her half-brother ʿAbbas Mirza, Crown Prince until his death in 1833, wrote of her: 'My soul to yours, beloved Ziaʾ ol-Saltaneh,/ I have torn a hundred garments from grief/ At the thought of separation from you.' Her father also wrote verses in her honour, such as: 'Oh light of my eyes, Ziaʾ ol-Saltaneh,/ One day away from you/ Is like unto a year for me.' Fath-Ali Khan Saba, the chief court poet, also wrote lines in her praise: 'Your moon, Shāh Baygum, from whose face and hair/ The morn of dominion is perfumed, and the king of the realm illumined.' It is clear that her brothers and other members of the court were aware of her influence with the Shah, and she would often be called upon to intercede for other members of the court.
During the reign of Muhammad Shah, she continued some of her duties associated with the fiscal running of the court, and was one of the few relatives of the new Shah allowed to sit in his presence.
Poetry
As well as reciting the poetry of others, writing down that composed by her father, and acting as a patron, Zia ol-Saltaneh also composed her own verses. Her poetry was recorded by her brother Mahmud Mirza in his anthology of women poets, compiled in 1825, at the behest of Ziaʾ al-Saltaneh herself. For example:
