Ebrahim Hadidi

The elder daughter of Reza Shah by his second wife Taj-ol-Moluk, Shams Pahlavi was born in Tehran, 28^th, Oct. 1917. There is not much information about her childhood and adolescence but the memoirs of Ashraf Pahlavi shows that unlike her sister, she was not interested in politics and spent her time mostly on her personal affairs and interests and felt more comfortable in the role of a traditional housewife. She accepted the presidency of the Red Sun and Lion society only to keep her public prestige. She also presided over the Iranian Women's Circle which was formed by Reza Shah to encourage the removal of veils.

In 1936, Reza Shah Pahlavi decided to have her daughters married. Among many suitors, Ali Mohammad Qavam (son of Ebrahim Qavam-ol-Molk Shirazi) and Fereidun Jam (son of the prime minister, Mahmud Jam) were chosen for Shams and Ashraf respectively. However, Shams preferred Fereidun Jam and the grooms were changed.

Subsequent to the departure of Reza Shah from Iran, Shams expressed her dissatisfaction with her marriage and without official divorce embarked on an independent life. Later on she made relationship to Ezzatollah Minbashian (her music teacher). She got divorced in 1944 and married to Minbashian the next year.

Minbashian who changed his name to Mehrdad Pahlbod was a violinist and due to the dissatisfaction of the Shah, he was banished from the court. Eventually through intermediation of the queen mother, he was appointed the minister of culture and the director of the department general of fine arts. Then he was appointed minister of culture and arts in HassanAli Mansur's cabinet and held the office till the rise of the Islamic Revolution.

Shams Pahlavi converted into Christianity in 1970s and founded a private church at her palace in Mehrshahr. Her husband and children adopted Catholicism after her. She went to Italy and Vatican many times and paid visits to the Christian leaders of the world. She did not involve herself in commercial affairs, though she held huge shares in various domestic and foreign foundations, firms and institutions which were managed by Habib Sabet (a famous Bahai leader). She had large properties in MehrShahr and the east of Tehran.

Eventually she died in her 78 years in 1995 and was buried according to the Christian rites. She left behind two sons Shahbaz (born in 1946) and Shahyar (born in 1949) and a daughter Shahrazad (born in 1942).