Babri Khan & Kaftar Khan

In some cases when people were being exposed to oppression and injustice, and no one dared to have the honour to submit it to the Shah, they had no hope, the last resort was that they came to my door and I, regardless of the Shah’s sons or without any fear from princes and grand vizier of the time, submitted their complaints to the Shah and settled the problem. Lately, I talk to the Shah so boldly and considered no one and no position while submitting cases and complaints. But I talked lesser to him when I was a child. If someone was being exposed to oppression, he came at the foor of my house and took sanctuary and those who were coring of me (Laleh), or Amin Aqdass, were delivering their complaints and petitions without any consideration to the Shah.

The Shah was very carefull and intented to hear all people’s complaint and the happening of any incident, the fact was that no one left my house hopeless and disappointed. People’s criticixms was out of place, because the Shah was so kind with regard to a cat named “ BabriKhan “. The Shah loved this cat. He was deposited by Amin Aqdass and he had special nurse and Laleh. They brought for him fried chicken (Jujeh Kabab) in an especial plate from Shah’s butler’s pantry everyday which was Ibrahim-Amin-ol-Sultan or someone elsse who brought food for BabriKhan just as the Shah. They put him at a flowing board in journeys and brought his accompanied by the Shah house to house. Mashadi Rahim, the ferash of Anim Aqdass, was caring of the cat. As I have heard, the cat also got used to the Shah & he loved the cat too.
Once when the Shah was sick, the cat brought one of her kittens beside the Shah’s bed and put it on down; after some minutes it died and then the Shah recovered. It was said that BabriKhan has brought her kitten and gave it away as sacrifice for Shah. But this is a falsehood, because cats change the place of their kittens hourly and perhaps such an incident accidently happened; and perhaps the simple-minded people of that time had simply imagined like that.

Also Shah had another cat which he loved too much. This cat had been named “ KaftarKhan” and had done many services and had had benefis for many people. Whenever one of the relatives of Shah, the slave children, servants of women’s apartment, etc., who wanted gratuity and robes of honour or if they had any complaint, wrote letter of petitions and hang it to KaftarKhan’s neck. It was also for BabriKhan. Shah was going to women’s apartment every afternoon after his works have been done. Firstly he called BabriKhan & KaftarKhan; hearing his voice they came from whereever they were and stayed beside him. Once the cats reached the Shah, they immediately jumped above his shoulders and spoiled themselves and were robbing themselves to Shah and accompanied by him untill it came the time that Shah was going to sleep.
BabriKhan had been so clean and proper a cat and never making water or excrement in the building. Whenever Shah saw any letter of petition hanged from BabriKhan’s neck, he opened and read it and granted the complaint’s request. If they wanted any favour, robe of honour and gratuity, he immediantely gave them. It had been wrongly written somewhere that people wanted government and ceremonies by these letters petition. Also almost the inhabitants of women’s apartment or men’s apartment stole the cat, hid him for some days, then giving some gratuity and robe of honour, they let the cat go.
Gradually the courtiers became jealous of this cat, while the poor cat had no concern of anyone or politics, and it was the Shah that by chance loved him and was used to the cat. They bore it a grudge because they had enemity with Amin Aqdass untill finally the cat was disappeared and was never found. Whenever the cat generated, some of private servants and ladies flattery requested her kittens and so the Shah sometimes gave them and sometimes not. It was an honour for a lady of women’s apartmentwhen the Shah had sat and the cat also entered and sat in her lap so she became please in the hope that Shah looked her and give attention to her. At last they stole the cat and destroyed it. They searched for a long time but there was no trace of her.


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Diary of Aziz-ol-Sultan’s memories “Malijak-e- Sani”


GolamAliKhan known as Malijak and entitled Aziz-ol-Sultan is nephew of Amin-e-Aqdass, one of the favourite wives of Nassir-ed-din Shah, and the son of Mirza Mohammad Khan (Malijak-e-Aval).
GolamAli in his early months of his life admitted to be near to the reign court and so was loved and given attention by the Nassir-ed-din Shah to the extent that he loved him more than he loved his own children so that Shah took him to Europe in his third voyage with himself and married his daughter, Akhtar-ol-Dowleh, to him. Malijak gradually lost his honour and wealth after the killing of Nassir-ed-din Shah and was divorced from the Sh\ah’s daughter and eventually died at 63 years old, some years before Shahrivar 1320.