One Hundred Years Ago in the Land of Lion and Sun; Women of Iran

In the upcoming series of talks, we introduce a book titled "Life in the Muslim East"; the author of this book is "Pierre Pounafidin", who wrote it in Russian, and his wife "Emma Koushiran Pounafidin" also translated it into English. The English translation of the book was published in 1911, just over 100 years ago, and contains the author's memories from 36 years of work and life as the consul of the Russian Empire in Iran and the Ottoman Empire, as well as his travels to various regions of Iran, "Turkish Arabia" (Hijaz, Baghdad, Basra, and parts of Kurdish areas in Arab Iraq), and "India". The section on Iran is titled "In the Land of Lion and Sun". However, there are also references to topics related to Iran in other sections, including the status of women in Iran within the framework of Sharia and custom, as well as the general situation of Kurds who lived at that time under the citizenship of both the Ottoman Empire and Iran. This work also contains photographs taken by the author and his wife from Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and India. Women of Iran One Hundred Years Ago in the Land of Lion and Sun Book: Life in the Muslim East (1911) Written by: Pierre Pounafidin Selected and free translation: Abbas Javadi It is not unlikely that as a European, you could live for years in the Muslim East without truly gaining knowledge about the lives of Muslim women. The reason is that Muslim women live in the isolation of the home and closed family environment, and Muslim men strive to ensure that the family life of their women and sisters is not influenced by the outside world. The most important means that can unveil the first veil of the secrets of Muslim women's lives to a European is understanding the laws of the Quran and Sharia regarding women, marriage, divorce, inheritance, and property rights. According to these laws and the prevailing customs in Muslim countries, the lives of Muslim women are meticulously determined and regulated, and it does not matter much whether the subject is about the women of the deserts of Arabia, the palaces of Istanbul, or the "yurts" of Turkmen and Kyrgyz. The lives of women in Iran are also based on the same general laws and principles of the religion and Sharia of Islam. The foundational thought of these laws is that men are superior to women, that women are weak, dependent, and in need of men in every respect, and that their rights and powers are correspondingly less than those of men. Of course, the details and practical aspects of these laws and principles may differ from country to country, but overall, the status of Muslim women in all Islamic countries follows the same principles and laws that have guided the thoughts and actions of these peoples and nations through Islam. In Iran, the status of Muslim women is relatively different from that in some other Islamic countries. For example, "polygamy", meaning having multiple wives, is not common in Iran, but in practice, men's powers, including the ability to divorce their wives, are so extensive that women, especially those from lower classes, constantly live in an atmosphere of fear and anxiety, and men can easily divorce their wives and take another. We will discuss this more. Another commonality that all Muslim women share is Islamic hijab. Women love heavy makeup, darkening their eyelids and especially their eyebrows, connecting their two eyebrows with black color over their noses. From the text of the book When a European enters one of the cities of Iran, the first thing that catches their attention is the shadowy shapes wrapped in dark blue chadors, beneath which they wear wide trousers, either blue or dark black, and their eyes are hidden behind a veil. They walk with such uncertainty in their shoes, which resemble high heels with a turned-up toe that do not even reach halfway down their feet, that it seems as if they are stumbling. These are Iranian women. It is difficult to imagine a more uncomfortable outfit than that of Iranian women, whether at home or in the streets and markets. It seems that women believe that the more layers of clothing they wear, the "more stylish" they will appear. Inside the house, over the main garment that barely reaches the knees, they wear a blouse-like shirt, and over that, they put on something resembling a short jacket that is open in front and has tight, long sleeves. These jackets depend on each person's wealth and status, made from silk and other expensive fabrics, and are embroidered. Rings and necklaces, as well as nose rings, are also common. In the past, Iranian women used to get tattoos, but this practice has fallen out of favor. Wealthy women often attach their precious stones to their belts. The clothing worn outside the home is layered over the home clothing and consists of three parts: first, the outer garment that covers from head to waist, which is tucked into wide trousers that connect to a sock of the same fabric at the ankle. Secondly, a chador, which is usually dark blue, falls over the head and reaches down to the feet. On this chador, a square or rectangular piece of fabric called a "picheh" is tied at the forehead, which falls down and covers the face, especially the eyes of the women. The picheh has a netting in front of the eyes so that one can see a little of the outside world from there. Naturally, in the summer heat, this clothing is more uncomfortable than at other times. I think the likelihood that a man would recognize his wife in this clothing on the street is very low. However, the customs of Muslims do not encourage a man to go out with his wife. Even if he does, he either walks ahead while his wife walks behind, or he follows his wife. Women love heavy makeup, darkening their eyelids and especially their eyebrows, connecting their two eyebrows with black color over their noses. Inside the home, the living spaces of men and women are separate, or they should be separate. The area designated for women is called "andaroon", which is forbidden to "namahram" (non-mahram men). The place where unknown guests and "namahram" come is called "biroon". In the "andaroon" or "haram", all servants, except for the head of the harem, are women and girls. In principle, each wife has the right to have her own independent home, but in practice, this is not always the case, as not everyone can afford it. The work or activities of women depend on the social status of their husbands. In low-income families, women do household chores. In villages, they also milk cows and sheep and prepare bread and yogurt. It must be said that the Iranian man, according to the prevailing belief that "woman is the weaker sex", does not burden his wife with heavy physical labor. Wealthy women engage in beautifying themselves, visiting others, doing light handicrafts like embroidery, and perhaps occasionally reading something. They spend most of their time talking and gossiping with other women, eating sweets with tea, smoking pipes and hookahs, listening to the music and songs of professional female musicians, or going to the bathhouse. From the text of the book The work or activities of women depend on the social status of their husbands. In low-income families, women do household chores. In villages, they also milk cows and sheep and prepare bread and yogurt. It must be said that the Iranian man, according to the prevailing belief that "woman is the weaker sex", does not burden his wife with heavy physical labor. Wealthy women engage in beautifying themselves, visiting others, doing light handicrafts like embroidery, and perhaps occasionally reading something. They spend most of their time talking and gossiping with other women, eating sweets with tea, smoking pipes and hookahs, listening to the music and songs of professional female musicians, or going to the bathhouse. When upper-class women go out for visits and mourning ceremonies, they always ride in carriages or on horseback, accompanied by a servant or maid. Lower-class women go out alone. Regardless of the issue of going out, lower-class women, especially rural women who have to work outside the home alongside their men, have more freedom than middle-class and wealthy women. For me, it is not a proven claim, but they say that young women go to the shrines to meet men, as they fear being recognized by their fathers or brothers while talking to men in the streets and markets. However, I noticed that veiled women do not worry much about covering their faces when they encounter a man they know is not Muslim. The education of girls is essentially limited to reading and writing, which is mostly seen in the middle and upper classes. A commonality among many Iranian women is "superstition". This is not surprising in a country like Iran, where everything, such as days, numbers, words, and even the looks and speech of people, is divided into two groups: "unlucky" and "auspicious". In this regard, women consult fortune-tellers and diviners to attract the love of their husbands or the good intentions of others, or they carry strange talisman stones like "hyena claws" with them, or they place some verses of the Quran written by clerics and diviners in a small bag tied to their arms. A woman in the process of "rougheftan" (a traditional form of seeking a husband) Marriage In Iran, according to Islamic Sharia, two types of marriage are possible: permanent marriage "aqd", which is limited to four women, and temporary marriage "sigheh", which can last from one hour to ninety-nine years. There is no limit on the number of women in a temporary marriage. The marriage contract is conducted in Arabic. For this purpose, religious auspicious days such as Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, or the birth of Shia Imams are preferred. Conversely, during the month of Muharram, which is a period of mourning for Shia Muslims, or in the "Cancer" zodiac sign, marriage contracts are not performed. For a marriage contract, the consent of both parties is required. The presence of two witnesses is also necessary, but if this condition is not fulfilled, but other conditions are met, the presence of witnesses can be waived. Another condition of the marriage contract is the agreement of both parties on something called "mahr" (dowry), which is usually determined in the form of property or money, and it is the monetary value that the man pays to the woman he divorces for any reason. The mahr is determined in both cases of marriage contract and temporary marriage. In Iran, there is another way for marriage that does not exist in the Quran or Sharia. This is the marriage contract between a single man and a "yaisah" (a woman who no longer menstruates and has no chance of becoming a mother). In this case, there is no need for a religious ceremony by a cleric. It is sufficient for both parties to express their readiness in a specific manner in Arabic and to agree on the "mahr" to be paid to the woman and the duration of this marriage. From the text of the book If one or both parties to the marriage are minors, the consent of their father, brother, or guardian is sufficient, and if the parties complain after reaching maturity that their marriage was not valid due to their young age at the time of marriage, their complaint is invalid. In some cases, especially among tribes and nomads, young girls and boys are sold as slaves. In other cases, the parents of both parties pledge when their children are infants that when they reach the necessary age, they will marry them to each other, and in some cases, this also happens. The existence of the temporary marriage option practically nullifies the limit of four women in the permanent marriage contract. Legally and religiously, there is not much difference between the two types of marriage, and even the children born from both types of marriage have equal rights. This also places significant moral and material pressure on a "contractual" woman whose husband can divorce her at any moment. These laws give men the freedom to choose new wives, even for an hour, or to abandon them. Temporary marriage is both permissible and common for those who are traveling. In the city of Mashhad, where many pilgrims come to visit the shrine of the eighth Shia Imam, many women in the "andaroon" of clerics are ready for short-term marriages. This practice also has good financial benefits, as both the "mahr" of that temporary marriage is paid, and those clerics receive a certain amount of money from the "temporary husbands" as "naghfa" (maintenance). A wealthy individual, when his son reaches fifteen or sixteen years old, takes a "sigheh" for him, and when his son reaches nineteen or twenty, he takes a "proper" wife for him. Therefore, it is not surprising to hear that a thirty-year-old woman has been married to a sixteen-year-old boy. The age at which girls can be married off is nine years. In Iran, there is another way for marriage that does not exist in the Quran or Sharia. This is the marriage contract between a single man and a "yaisah" (a woman who no longer menstruates and has no chance of becoming a mother). In this case, there is no need for a religious ceremony by a cleric. It is sufficient for both parties to express their readiness in a specific manner in Arabic and to agree on the "mahr" to be paid to the woman and the duration of this marriage. In 1861, a great famine occurred in Iran, and the prices of all consumables and food increased excessively. The price of bread rose ten to twelve times, and due to the lack of flour, it became very difficult to buy bread even with exorbitant money... In such circumstances, several thousand women from Tehran resolved to block the king's way when he returned from hunting and complained about the famine and the outrageous prices. The king, seeing this situation, ordered that additional funds from the treasury be allocated to address the people's problems, and this was done. From the text of the book Some girls go to the shrines around the cities to pray for finding a husband. There are many of these shrines, most of which are the sisters of the Imams. There are also specific rules regarding marriage with non-Muslims. Muslim men are allowed to marry non-Muslim women, but "people of the book". Marrying "infidel" women is forbidden. However, Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslims, and if they do, their blood is lawful to be shed. As previously mentioned, "polygamy" is not common in Iran. The majority of men have only one wife. Especially with the rising cost of living, the possibility of maintaining multiple families in different homes is becoming less and less for men. Therefore, men from low-income and middle-class backgrounds, farmers, artisans, and small and medium shop owners often have only one wife. Nomads and tribes, who constitute one-fourth of Iran's population (one hundred years ago), are also in this group. However, landlords, chiefs...