Mitya Ivanov

"Wearing inappropriate clothes, filming and photography are strictly forbidden." http://www.constantinopleguide.com/Topkapi_palace.html

Dear Markus, I've never been to Topkapi Palace myself (I've came across this picture of Moqaddas that I sent to Nick in the Internet). But try to take a chance: they have wonderful Lions and Suns too. I saw the photos of them in the Internet too.

From Topkapi Saray (Palace) Museum, Istanbul.

Order of the Royal Portrait Al-Ghaffari (raqam-i Abu'l-Hasan Naqqash Bashi) Iran, mid-19th century Opaque enamels, red, yellow and white gold, set with diamonds Portrait: 2,5x2 cm Brooch: 9,5x7 cm Nasser David Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London (JLY 2161)

Cannot care less. She has never been a Princess. Only Empress (even before her Coronation in 1967).

"...photos of Princess..." QUEEN she is: Shahbanou:)

"H.R.H. Princess Fawzia ... rcvd: ... GC of the Order of Pahlavi (27.10.1940)" http://www.royalark.net/Persia/pahlavi3.htm Don't know the source of this. Anyway funny - in comparison to this British diplomatic letter of 1940 above.

I think - from Encyclopaedia Iranica (with its many desinforming arguements like that one about Nishan-i Haft-Paykar established 1957). As for "Nishan-i Aryamehr", Iranica refers to this book: Robert Werlich, Orders and Decorations of All Nations, Ancient and Modern,Civil and Military, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC, 1974). But I'm not a happy owner of a copy:(

Sunday, 14 March [1976] Audience... Reminded HIM that New Year is approaching and that Mrs Diba expects to be granted either the honorary title Princess, or the Khorshid decoration. It would be unwise to disappoint her. ‘I’ve talked the matter over with HMQ’, HIM replied, ‘and she too is astonished by the vanity of this dervish mother of hers.’ I remarked how surprised I was that the two ladies hadn’t already discussed the matter; I had assumed HMQ would be the first person to whom Mrs Diba put her request. ‘Well, you assumed wrongly’, said HIM. ‘Let’s just suppose I agreed to give her the Khorshid thing. How on earth could I explain it to my mother? My sister Shams would be certain to stir things up with her. Yet another row!’ I quite took the point and promised never again to raise the subject, though I added that Mrs Diba’s brother, Mohammad Ali Qotbi, wants to be awarded the title of ‘roving ambassador’. ‘Incredible’, said HIM... [Alam, 472].

Diary of Asadollah Alam, Minister of Court^ "Friday, 13 September [1974] …Told him that Mrs Diba still longs to be awarded the Order of Khorshid (‘The Sun’) reserved for members of the royal family. She never refers to it by name, but goes on and on about ‘the other decoration’… ‘How peculiar’, HIM remarked. ‘Tell her that it doesn’t befit her status as a self-confessed dervish to covet such baubles.’ ‘None the less’, I said, ‘you had better let her have her way.’ ‘You must be joking!’, he replied. [Alam, 388]." ... Well, friend, things are even better: this Order NEVER existed as Aryamehr. I.e. there was NO such an Order as Aryamehr. It's a fake name.

Page 279 of this book: «British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the foreign office confidential print. From 1940 through 1945. Near and the Middle-East. Persia and Afghanistan, january 1940-december 1941" (Published 1997). (iii) On the 27th October a daughter was born to HIH the Crown Princess Fowzieh. This is the first-born child of the Princess Fowzieh since her marriage to the Crown Prince. The Shah is said to be very disappointed, but he has nevertheless decorated Princess Fowzieh with the Grand Cordon of the Order of Khorshid, an order reserved only for members of the Imperial Family. Dr. Hammerschlag (German-Jew), of the Shah Reza Hospital, Meshed, a well-known gynaecologist, was in attendance at the Palace. By Imperial decree the baby Princess is named "Shahnaz". http://books.google....z#search_anchor … I do believe the Order of Khorshid is the real name of the decoration we know as the Order of Aryamehr:)

What a gorgeous Lion'n'Sun enamel! Congrats, Mark!

Nasser-al-Din Shah in his diaries usually adds either title, or status or a name after Navvab: Navvab the Grand Duke, Navvab Prince, Navvab the Heir-Apparent, Navvab Nazim... "Wrong, as per usual." - Bla-bla-bla:)

"navvab-e 'aliyye-e a'aliyye", which is translated as "Her Imperial Highness Princess" No, because European "prinses" added as a separate word in this firman after the Persian construction: "navvab-e 'aliyye-e a'aliyye prinses d.gal". Please, read the text in firman again and again and again and aga... But anyone is welcomed to translate Navvab as His/Her Imperial Highness here.

PS: If anyone needs it - all the fragments of this firman seen: به فضل و عنایت خداوند متعال ما مظفّرالدین شاه قاجار شاهنشاه کلّ ممالک ایران خودمان درباره نوّاب علیه عالیه پرنسس دکال زوجه محترمه حضرت والا مودت و یگانگی این دو دولت متعزّی الیها را باعطای [به اعطای] یک قطعه نشان محترم آفتاب مکلل به الماس با حمایل مخصوص آن قرین ابتهاج فرمودیم که طراز سینه اعتبار خود فرمایند فی شهر محرم الحرام ئیلان ئیل 1323

"Now, what the dickens does it have to do with the Chinese year of the snake?" You see, James, you'll make a greater progress if you read more books instead of posting more and more of your arrogant comments here. Or just type in 'Chinese-Uighur animal calendar in Persia' in any search engine. Or just read the first column here: http://www.jstor.org...id=70&uid=4&sid=559734 Or read this at least: "The form of this calendar used by Iranians combined features of the Chinese-Uighur original with those of the lunar Hejrī and Jalālī calendars. Furthermore, during the period of seven centuries in which this calendar was in use, from the Mongol invasion until 1304 Š./1925, certain additional modifications were made." (http://www.iranicaon...s/calendars#pt2) Do you know only on March 31, 1925 the tradition to use Chinese names of the year was abandond by Reza Pahlavi? Now tell us once again about exclusively "Hijra, not the Chinese". Ask me once again about where do I get "princess" from, "since there is no word for princess in Persian". Come on, James the Enlightener! Go, Mr. Dickens! :)

You are too aggressive today, James. It is totally unacceptable in any Gentlemen's Club. Don't know (and don't care) what has happened to you. But won't go on talking to you until you are slow down.

One more thing, dear James: you see, it was me who asked two Persian-speaking philologists to read these fragments and two Persian-reading historians to check the result (and then I asked Nick to translate it into English and to post it here just because Nick's English is someway better than mine). I've even learned from all these linguo-histo-guys that at the end of 19th century many European geographical names and European titles had become familiar to Persians (and were adopted in Persian language) through France. 'Prinses D[e]gal' in this firman is nothing but French "Princesse De Galles" for English "Princess of Wales". Ex. the same happened to Duc/Duchesse:دوک / دوشس I don't think that after all the job done for me by these experts I do really need any 'transliterations' from the person who oops!ed to find and read 'prinses' in Persian letters in this firman. And I don't think the way you've chosen to talk to me (with all that "absolutely overjoyed that you know it" and "what the dickens does it have to do with") really fits the first word in the name of this site. No, I don't think so. Deliberately not.

"But then where do you get "princess" from, since there is no word for princess in Persian?" Dear friend, do you read Persian? If yes, why can not you see the very words 'prinses D.Gal' yourself? Open your eyes - it is written in this firman exactly: پرنسس د کال (Handwritten "G" looks just like "K" in firman (گ instead of ک ) - that's why "D.gal" can be easily misread as "D.kal"; "D.gal" is a more correct version). But if you don't read Persian, I just wonder what are you talking about here? How can you criticize the translation of this firman's fragments without knowing Persian alphabet?

"The first, ending at "alliye" says more or less Her Royal Highness Princess" But she is not called here neither Royal nor Highness. She is titled here as "highly-respected and highly-revered (-esteemed) Navvab Princess" - without any Royal Higness (Highness sounds as 'hazrat-e vala' or 'valahazrat', you know). So, tell me about the meaning of Navvab, please, once again. Maybe I've misunderstood smth.

"I do not know what "d.kal" means". "Prinses D.Kal" (or "D.Gal") means "Princess of Wales".

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr as my friend Mitya would say." "There nothing else I can say..." (Lady Gaga:) Really don't know what to do with this buckles-and-cockades problem!!! Do we know any buckles with two-lions-the-crownbearers, btw?

Dear James, please offer us YOUR OWN translation and explanation of these words from the firman: "...khodeman dar baraye navvab-e 'aliyye-ye ‘āliyye prinses d.kāl zowjaye mohtarameye hazrat-e vala..."

"1323 is the Islamic year of the Hijra." - Yeah, we know! It is converted in this translation into AD 1905. So what?

Thanks, Nick! "Horror-show!" (с) Anthony Burgess:). The only possible improvement could be "His Highness" in "...wife of its Highness..." God bless our friends in Russia and Iran who provided us with this translation of the parts of the document seen.