Qajar dynasty Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Qajar dynasty

Parent house	Qovanlu line of Qajars tribe
Country	Sublime State of Persia
Founded	1796
Founder	Agha Mohammad Shah (1796–1797)
Current head	Sultan Mohammad Ali Mirza (since 2011)
Final ruler	Ahmad Shah (1909–1925)
Titles	Shah of Iran
Deposition	1925

The Qajar dynasty was a powerful family that ruled Iran from 1789 to 1925. They were of Turkic origin, coming from the Qajar tribe.

The Qajar family took full control of Iran in 1794. They removed Lotf 'Ali Khan, who was the last ruler of the Zand dynasty. They also brought back Iranian control over large parts of the Caucasus region.

In 1796, Mohammad Khan Qajar easily took over the city of Mashhad. This ended the Afsharid dynasty. Mohammad Khan was then officially crowned as Shah (king) after a military campaign against Georgia. During the 19th century, the Qajar dynasty lost many important areas in the Caucasus to the Russians. These areas include modern-day Georgia, Dagestan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

Qajar Rulers of Persia (1796–1925)
The Qajar Royal Family Today
Famous Qajar Descendants
Images for kids
See also

Qajar Rulers of Persia (1796–1925)

This table shows the main rulers of the Qajar dynasty and when they were in power.

Name		Title	Born–Died	Started Ruling	Ended Ruling
1	Mohammad Khan Qajar	Khan Shah	1742–1797	March 1796	17 June 1797
2	Fat′h-Ali Shah Qajar	Shahanshah Khaqan	1772–1834	17 June 1797	23 October 1834
3	Mohammad Shah Qajar	Khaqan son of Khaqan	1808–1848	23 October 1834	5 September 1848
4	Naser al-Din Shah Qajar	Zell'ollah (Shadow of God) Qebleh-ye 'ālam (Pivot of the Universe)	1831–1896	5 September 1848	1 May 1896
5	Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar		1853–1907	1 May 1896	3 January 1907
6	Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar		1872–1925	3 January 1907	16 July 1909
7	Ahmad Shah Qajar	Sultan	1898–1930	16 July 1909	31 October 1925

The Qajar Royal Family Today

Even though the Qajar dynasty no longer rules, the family still exists. The oldest male descendant of Mohammad Ali Shah is considered the head of the Qajar Imperial Family. Currently, this is Soltan Mohammad Ali Mirza Qajar.

The person next in line to be the Qajar heir is Mohammad Hassan Mirza II. He is the grandson of Mohammad Hassan Mirza, who was the brother of the last Shah, Soltan Ahmad Shah.

Today, many descendants of the Qajars stay connected. They have family reunions through the Kadjar (Qajar) Family Association. This group often meets at the same time as the International Qajar Studies Association (IQSA). The family association was started again in 2000, after earlier attempts were stopped due to political reasons.

Famous Qajar Descendants

Many people from the Qajar family have become famous in different fields.

Bahram Mirza
Feyzullah Mirza Qajar
Prince Abdol-Hossein Farmanfarma (1859–1939) was a prime minister of Iran.
Mohammad Mosaddegh, another prime minister of Iran, was the nephew of Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma.
Prince Firouz Nosrat-ed-Dowleh III (1889–1937) was a foreign minister of Iran.
Hossein Khan Sardar (1740–1830) was the last ruler of the Erivan area.
Amir Abbas Hoveyda was a prime minister of Iran from 1965 to 1977. He was a Qajar descendant on his mother's side.
Ali Amini also served as a prime minister of Iran.
Prince Iraj Eskandari was an Iranian communist politician.
Princess Maryam Farman Farmaian (born 1914–died 2008) was an Iranian communist politician. She started the women's section of the Tudeh Party of Iran.
Ardeshir Zahedi (born 1928) is an Iranian diplomat. He is a Qajar descendant on his mother's side.
Abdol-Hossein Sardari (1895–1981) was a diplomat who helped save many Jewish people during World War II by giving them Iranian passports. He was a Qajar descendant.
Aga Khan III (1877–1957) was a leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He was also president of the League of Nations.
Prince Amanullah Mirza Qajar was a military commander in Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.
Prince Feyzulla Mirza Qajar was a military commander in Russia and Azerbaijan.
Prince Amanullah Jahanbani was a senior Iranian general.
Nader Jahanbani was a general in the Imperial Iranian Air Force.
Princess Sattareh Farmanfarmaian was a pioneer in social work in Iran.
Princess Fakhr-ol-dowleh was a notable figure.
Aga Khan IV (born 1936) is the current leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims.
Princess Mohtaram Eskandari was an important figure in the Iranian women's movement.
Dr. Iran Teymourtash (1914–1991) was a journalist and helped women in need. She was a Qajar descendant.
Prince Iraj (1874–1926) was a famous Iranian poet and translator.
Princess Lobat Vala (born 1930) is an Iranian poet and works for women's rights.
Shahrnush Parsipur is an Iranian novelist and a Qajar descendant.
Sadegh Hedayat was a writer and a Qajar descendant.
Gholam-Hossein Banan was an Iranian musician and singer, also a Qajar descendant.