THE LEGEND Zainab Pasha — What'shername

Zeynab Pasha was one of the most influential voices during several crises of 19th century Iranian history. From the Bread Crisis to the Tobacco Protests and the lead up to Iran’s Constitutional Revolution, she led the way in taking back the power of the people. She was legendary, and then she disappeared – literally and figuratively.

Afarin Bellisario, author of the new novel Silenced Whispers, introduces us to the life of this incredible woman.

Zainab Pasha (second from right) with other women involved in the Tabriz Women’s Movement
unknown photographer

Possibly a photo of the women of the Tabriz Women’s Movement

A statue of Zainab Pasha in a place of honor in the Constitution House Museum in Tabriz.

A share of Imperial Tobacco, the corporation that official controlled the Iranian tobacco industry after the concession to an Englishman.

The official fatwa issued by the top religious authority in Iran during the tobacco protests, forbidding the use of tobacco.

Afarin Bellisario bridges East and West, Past and Future Modernity and Tradition. Born and raised in Tehran in a family with its feet in the past and its head in the future, she was educated and built a career in high-tech in the US. But her passion has always been writing. She started writing in pre-revolutionary Iran. Today, she writes, mentors startup ventures (over 300 and counting), and teaches. She loves to travel, plays piano, and is a board member of the Cambridge Chamber Ensemble. She has a regular publication on Medium and is working on a sequel to Silenced Whispers. You can follow her Substack here.

Music featured in this episode included

“The Safavids,” “The Lament of Farangis,” “Shirin and Khosrow,” and “The Arsacids” by Farya Faraji

and “Bayat-i Turk” by Zari Khanum and “Sin Gah” by Iftikhar Khanum from the Women’s Worlds of Qajar Iran Collection at Harvard University.

Music featured in this episode included

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