“We were celebrating our history, our past, our culture & unfortunately, in the years 70’s, there was a lot of attacks from different opposition groups or from different people outside of Iran...to vilify my husband”

- Shahbanu in 2004, addressing #Iran’s 2500 Year Celebrations https://twitter.com/ashkantweets/status/1315714143127822336

“You know, I must say that after the price of the oil rise in the early 70s, we had a big campaign against #Iran, from outside”

- Shahbanou Farah #Pahlavi

“And what was very important to my heart as you said is culture. #Iran is a country of culture & history & I had a lot of admiration for our culture & for the preservation of it. And also, for our people to know where they come from & what they have”

- #Shahbanou Farah #Pahlavi

In the video above, she goes on to speak of the museums established in #Iran under the #Pahlavi dynasty

I’ve created a thread on these museums which you can read about in the link below

https://twitter.com/ashkantweets/status/1300199100776931329?s=21 https://twitter.com/ashkantweets/status/1300199100776931329

Q: What caused you after this many years to sit down & to write this book?

“Well for many years I wanted to write this book because I considered that it’s my duty. And also, for the memory of my husband...”

- Shahbanou

The 1 word that comes up again&again from Shahbanu is “duty”

Whether in 2004, or in the interview from my thread below in 1977, or before that, or even today, she has never stopped believing that she has a sense of duty2 the Iranian Nation

Every Iranian must try to emulate her https://twitter.com/ashkantweets/status/1316885651208503296

“I know there was a lot of stories about the police, the Savak . . . That again was too much exaggerated by the opposition groups, which were very well organized”

“If Savak was strong as they said, these people who are ruling Iran today, were all known by Savak”

- #Shahbanou

“Light will overcome the darkness. I don’t want. . . the evil & all the negative things of life destroy me. Because life is a struggle for all of us. . . We shouldn’t lose hope, because otherwise we are losing to the evil. And for me, the Islamic Republic is evil”

- #Shahbanou

“My optimism is not just because I hope so or I dream . . . I believe in the #Iranian people because they have gone through so many things in their history & they always came out of it & they kept their identity. They kept their language. They kept their beliefs”

- #Shahbanou

Q: Do you have bodyguards?

Shahbanou:

“Bodyguards are very important, but I think I have guardian angels too”

“Sport has helped me a lot during this difficult period to keep my mental & physical state healthy. But what I wanted to say about sport & tennis [is] that I played my best tennis almost at the age of 50. So never give up”

- #Shahbanou Farah #Pahlavi

Interviewer:

“You are such an extraordinary woman, it is probably time for you to consider marriage again”

Shahbanu:

“I will say that once you are married to the husband that I have known, there is no one who can replace it, and I’m married to my country still”

Q: There’s some wonderful photographs of you on an occasion with Mrs Sadat & Mrs Rabin & you as three women contributing to peace . . .

#Shahbanou Farah #Pahlavi:

“ . . . That gathering was women who were next to the men who worked for peace”

Interviewer: “Your granddaughters—if you’ll say a word about them, there are now 3”

Shahbanu:

“Yes there are 3 of them... they’re really a great joy in my life... They have wonderful interesting questions to ask me &what they say which makes me happy: they think that I’m cool”

@faryad2hedayat @goodbadatusa @JahangirTaban @scorpio1341 @Raha71539074 @FaranakAzad1 @BehiGity @Leila_Arya @mimoj1 @KiMo10626877

Dorood Doostan

Scroll to the top to view this thread of interview clips I’ve created of Shahbanou from a Q&A discussing her book in 2004. Enjoy.