The magnificent white dress contrasted sharply with the colours of the ceremony and gave the Empress a unique serenity. Never had a queen worn such a simultaneously simple and magnificent dress at a coronation. Over it, the Shahbanou of Iran wore a simple cornflower blue sash (with two long golden tassels at the end) from which hung the badge. It was the Nishan-i-Aryamehr, or the Order of the Light of the Aryans, created by the Shah exactly one month before, on the 26th September 1967, in honour of his wife. The Empress wore the star of this order, of which she received the First Class, reserved for female sovereigns or consorts. A second class was reserved for the princesses, who wore it at the Coronation.
Around her neck, the Empress wore the most splendid diamond and emerald necklace and matching earrings, from the Crown Jewels, ordered at Van Cleef & Arpels for the Coronation, along with the Empress’ Crown but made essentially in Teheran by Pierre Arpels. The necklace, mounted in platinum and gold, is composed by an enormous engraved hexagonal emerald, mounted in pendant and surrounded by diamonds of old cut, of four big square emeralds and five smaller ones, (all surrounded by diamonds), four hanging pear pearls and eleven yellow diamonds of very good size. Her Imperial Majesty wore no tiara and had her hair done to match the exact size of the Empress of Iran’s Crown.
Just before her coronation, a magnificent Imperial Robe was placed above Empress Farah’s shoulders. Perhaps the most amazing robe ever to be made, the green velvet cloth was a superb masterpiece, also designed by Marc Boham from Dior but again woven, cut and finalized in Iran, by Iranians. That colour was chosen because green is the colour of the descendants of the Prophet. The gold embroidery in the green velvet, though, gave it the most extraordinary look. But it was not only gold, since the whole length of the train (longer than the train of the white dress) was embroidered with diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
The back of the robe was especially magnificent, with the Pahlavi arms embroidered in gold surrounded by a profusion of gold embroideries with alternating rubies and emeralds. The whole robe and train were bordered with vison. Although tremendously magnificent, the Empress’ robe had the very unique characteristic of being extremely different from all the robes ever seen, ever made, or ever imagined. It could not be compared to the British Coronation robes, it could not be compared with the French Coronation robes, it could not be compared with the Austrian Coronation robes: it was, quite simply, uniquely beautiful and different.
The Shah of Iran wore the dark blue uniform of Great Marshal of the Empire and when he left the Marble Palace of Teheran, he wore the high, embroidered in gold, kepi that his father, Reza Shah the Great, had worn to his coronation in 1926. Although that hat had long been out of use in the Army, the Shah decided to wear it has a special family and historical souvenir. Decorating the kepi was the Darya-e Noor or Sea of Light Diamond, an incredibly clear rectangular stone, weighting between 175 and 195 carats, mounted in a frame composed of diamonds, in the form of the Imperial Crown.
Around his neck the Emperor wore the badge of the Order of Sipah (first class), while hanging from his shoulders was the highest Iranian decoration, the Collar and Collar Badge of the Nishan-i-Pahlavi or the Order of Pahlavi, founded in 1932 by Reza Shah the Great. The collar is composed of gold double loops forming knots and brought together by platinum, enamelled in blue, circlets. The Badge has four representations of the Pahlavi Crown and in the centre a miniature image of Mount Damavand. The Emperor wore the blue sash, bordered with yellow, of the Order of Pahlavi and the star, and also the star of the Order of Zulfikhar, or Sword of ‘Ali.
Coronation Main Page
Index Page
