Anoushiravan Mirza


Prince Anoushiravan Mirza "Zia' od-Dowleh" "Amir Touman" was an Iranian prince of the Qajar dynasty who served as a politician and governor.

Life and career

Anoushiravan Mirza was born on 19 August 1833 in Ardabil, Iran, and died on 23 October 1899 in Tabriz after developing apoplexy and paralysis. He was at Shusha, Karabakh. He was the first-born and eldest son of Prince Bahman Mirza, the vali of Azerbaijan during the reign of Mohammad Shah Qajar. His mother was Bahman Mirza's first chief wife, Princess Malek Soltan Khanum daughter of Mohammad Taqi Mirza.
In 1848, Bahman Mirza fell out of favour at the court in Tehran and was exiled to Russia. His wives and children followed him to the Russian occupied Caucasus province of Karabakh. However, shortly after 1850, Anoushiravan Mirza moved back to Iran. In 1872, Bahman Mirza's cousin, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, pardoned him. Therefore, Anoushiravan Mirza was finally rewarded with several governmental offices. In 1873, he became governor of Torshiz, 1878 governor of Talesh, later 1881–1882 governor of Tabriz, 1884–1886 and 1898–1899 of Semnan, Damghan and Shahrud, 1888–1889 governor of Borujerd and Lorestan. In 1891, he had the vizierate of the province of Kermanshah on behalf of the almighty governor and commander-in-chief of his time Hasan Ali Khan Garrusi. He also received the title of Zia' od-Dowleh - with which he became well-known - and the military rank of Amir Touman by Naser al-Din Shah.
In 1887, Thomas Stevens wrote in his travel-diary Around the World on a Bicycle:

Family and Offspring

In 1850, Prince Anoushiravan Mirza married his first and chief wife his cousin Badie ol-Jamal Khanum, daughter of Mohammad Hassan Khan Iravani by Princess Mahrokhsar Khanom "Fakhr od-Dowleh". Secondly he married the daughter of Prince Amir Teymur Mirza Hessami, son of Mohammad Taghi Mirza "Hessam os-Saltaneh".
He issued two sons and two daughters:
  • 1. Prince Soltan Ahmad Mirza, he had issued:
  • *1.1. Princess Benazir Khanom.
  • 2. Prince Soltan Majid Mirza "Dar ol-Molk".
  • 3. Princess Malekzadeh Khanom, she married Prince Shazdeh Mirza Bahrami "Sana' od-Dowleh" and issued:
  • *3.1. Princess Monavvareh Khanom, she had issued.
  • *3.2. Princess Moniere Khanom, she had issued.
  • 4. Princess Malekeh Afagh Khanom Bahman,, married ca. 1880 1rstly: Mirza Hossein Behnam; married 1898 2ndly: Amanollah Khan Zia' os-Soltan from the Donboli Khans of the Khoy Khanate. She had issued three sons and one daughter:
  • *4.1. Shahzadeh Ali Akbar Bahman, he had issued:
  • **4.1.1. Mehr-e Jahan Khanom Bahman.
  • *4.2. Ali Asghar Bahman, he had issued:
  • **4.2.1. Cyrus Bahman.
  • **4.2.2. Talieh ol-Afagh Khanom Bahman.
  • **4.2.3. Badie ol-Jamal Khanom II Bahman, who married into the Zarrinnaal family.
  • *4.3. Nosrat ol-Molouk Khanom Bahman, who married into the Zarrinnaal family and issued:
  • **4.3.1. Zarrin Rokh Zarrinkafsch-Bahman.
  • **4.3.2. Ali Zarrinpour Zarrinkafsch-Bahman.
  • **4.3.3. Abdol Hossein Amir Keywan Zarrinkafsch-Bahman.
  • **4.3.4. Abolreza Anoushiravan II.
  • *4.4. Abolghassem Bahman.