Look up Farah in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Farah (Arabic: فرح‎) is a female given name, it may refer to:

Given name[link]

• Farah Pahlavi (born 1938), née Dibah, the last Empress of Iran
• Farah (actress), a Bollywood actress of 80s
• Farah Hussain, Pakistani actress and presenter
• Farah Khan, Indian choreographer and director
• Farah Naqvi, Indian writer, consultant and activist

Surname[link]

• Adnan Farah, Jordanian psychologist
• Joseph Farah, an American journalist and prominent conservative
• Kenza Farah, French rap/R&B singer
• Martha Farah, psychologist
• Mo Farah, Somalia-born British international track and field athlete
• Nuruddin Farah, award-winning Somali writer
• Robbie Farah, Australian rugby league footballer

Fictional characters[link]

• Princess Farah, a character in the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time video game trilogy
• Farah Oersted, a character from the Tales of Eternia video game
• Farah, a character in the American television series Sleeper Cell

Places and geographical features[link]

• Farah River, a river in western Afghanistan
• Farah, Afghanistan, a town in southwest Afghanistan on the banks Farah River
• Farah, India, a town in Uttar Pradesh, India
• Farah Province, one of the western provinces of Afghanistan

See also[link]

• Fara
• Farrah

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia. (February 2011) Don't speak German? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the German article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|de|Kenza Farah}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (February 2011) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|fr|Kenza Farah}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Kenza Farah (born July 8, 1986) is an Algerian singer. She is considered^{[by whom?]} the second internet success story in the French music industry, after Yelle. Her album Authentik, released in 2007, went gold in its second week.^[1]

Career beginnings[link]

Born into a family of six children, Kenza Farah born in Bejaia (Kabylie - Algeria) but grew up in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille. At age 14, she began playing shows neighborhood and wins singing contest. Following the singing competition, Kenza Farah meet the producers that allow it to record some songs in the studio, including Mon Ange, Tresor and Il ma trahie. It is then noticed by the producer Abdel.B which allows him to sign the production of an album in December 2006 with an independent label, Karismatik.

Discography[link]

Authentik[link]

Authentik is an album of R & B, Hip Hop Soul and French, written and performed by French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The album contains 18 tracks (including two on the reissue) and guest appearances with Sefyu, Le Rat Luciano, Idir, Big Ali and The Silence of the Mosques. It was released June 11, 2007 in France.

1. Dans mon monde
2. Je me bats
3. Moi j'ai 20 ans
4. Ou va le monde
5. Lettre du front feat. Sefyu
6. Il m'a trahie
7. Dans les rues de ma ville
8. Trop d'flow feat. Big Ali
9. Mi amor
10. Ne me dites pas
11. Appelez moi Kenza
12. Sur tous les chemins feat. Le Rat Luciano
13. Sous le ciel de Marseille feat. Idir
14. Toi et moi
15. Cris de Bosnie feat. Le Silence des Mosquées
16. Les enfants du ghetto
17. Bye Bye
18. Leve la tête

Authentik Mixtape[link]

1. Intro Dj Roc j
2. 15éme Hardcore (Feat G.a.p/Soosol)
3. Faut il que je sois ?
4. Freestyle Skyrock
5. Trésor
6. Terre à terre (Feat Kamelancien)
7. Je reprends mes ailes
8. Quoi qu'il arrive (Feat Tino/Section fidjo)
9. L'Amour ou la Passion
10. Tu reconnais (Feat Kayline & Moh/S.krim)
11. Plus rien sans toi (Feat T-north)
12. On vous aime tant (Feat Alonzo & Ligne 26 & Sale équipe)
13. Freestyle Skyrock
14. Il m'a trahie + Medley (l'amour s'en va, d'amour ou d'amitié..)
15. Seule sans toi
16. Nos différences
17. Face à la mort (Feat Bouda/15eme Processus)
18. Flashback (Feat K-RhYme le roi)
19. À la place d'un ange (Feat Monock/La Méthode)
20. Toi et moi (Feat Mickey-lansky)

Avec le coeur[link]

Avec le coeur is an album of R & B, Hip Hop Soul and French, written and performed by French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The album contains 22 tracks and guest appearances with the Psy 4 De La Rime, Nina Sky, Roldan group Orishas and Busy Signal. It was released November 17, 2008 in France. This album is the first double CD of French R & B out. It will be certified platinum disc.

CD1

1. Avec le cœur
2. Au cœur de la rue
3. Mi corazon
4. Peuple du monde entier
5. Je représente
6. Désillusion du ghetto
7. On tient le coup feat. Psy 4 De La Rime
8. Let me be with you
9. La nuit feat. Busy Signal
10. Ce que je suis
11. Que serais-je ?

CD2

1. Kenza sur le beat
2. J'essaie encore
3. J'aurais voulu te dire
4. Chant libre
5. Ne nous jugez pas feat. Roldan (Orishas)
6. Commandement du ciment
7. Toute seule
8. Tout ça ne compte pas
9. Celle qu'il te faut feat. Nina Sky
10. La vérité
11. Pardonnez moi

Trésor[link]

Trésor is an album of R & B, Hip Hop Soul and French, written and performed by French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The album contains 18 tracks (including two bonus and a bonus virgin mega) and guest appearances with Segnor Alonzo, Lea Castel, Melissa M, Younes, Kayline (Karismatik) and Nabila (Karismatik). It was released November 15, 2010 in France.

1. Trésor
2. Militante
3. On m'a dit
4. On vient de là feat. Kayline
5. Je serais prète feat. Nabila
6. Me reconstruire
7. Je n'ai pas le choix
8. Opérationnel
9. Crack Musik feat. Alonzo
10. Coeur Prisonnier
11. Ainsi va la vie feat. Younes
12. Karismastyle
13. Vagabonde
14. Trop de mots feat. Léa Castel et Melissa M
15. Sans jamais se plaindre
16. Militante
17. La où tu vas
18. Street Verité

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Kenza Farah's blog

This article about a French singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Empress Farah
Empress of Iran
Empress consort of Iran
Tenure	26 October 1967 – 11 February 1979 (&1000000000000001100000011 years, &10000000000000108000000108 days)
Coronation	26 October 1967
Queen consort of Iran
Tenure	21 December 1959 – 26 October 1967 (&100000000000000070000007 years, &10000000000000309000000309 days)
Spouse	Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
Issue
Reza, Crown Prince of Iran Princess Farahnaz of Iran Prince Ali-Reza of Iran Princess Leila of Iran
Full name
English: Farah Persian: فرح‎
House	House of Pahlavi
Father	Sohrab Diba
Mother	Farideh Ghotbi
Born	(1938-10-14) 14 October 1938 (age 73) Tehran,[1] Iran
Signature
Religion	Shi'a Islam

Farah Pahlavi (Persian: فرح پهلوی‎, Azerbaijani: فرح پهلوی; born Farah Diba, 14 October 1938, Tehran)^[2] is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress (Shahbanou) of modern Iran. She was Queen consort of Iran from 1959 until 1967 and Empress consort from 1967 until exile in 1979.

Though the titles and distinctions of the Iranian Imperial Family were abolished within Iran by the Islamic government, she is still styled Empress or Shahbanou, out of courtesy, by the foreign media as well as by supporters of the monarchy. Some countries, such as the United States of America, Denmark, Spain and Germany, still address the former Empress as Her Imperial Majesty The Shahbanou of Iran in official documents, for example Royal wedding guest lists.

Childhood[link]

Farah Diba was born on 14 October 1938 in the Iranian capital Tehran, to an upper class family.^[3][4] Born as Farah Diba, she was the only child of Captain Sohrab Diba and his wife, Farideh Ghotbi. Farah Pahlavi's father's family is of Azerbaijani origin.^[5][6] In her memoir, the former Empress writes that her father's family were natives of Iranian Azarbaijan while her mother's family were from Gilan Province (Lahijan) on the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea.^[7]

Through her father, Farah came from a relatively affluent background. In the late 19th century her grandfather had been an accomplished diplomat, serving as the Iranian Ambassador to the Romanov Court in Moscow, Russia. Her own father was an officer in the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces and a graduate of the prestigious French Military Academy at St. Cyr.

Farah enjoyed an extremely close bond with her father and his unexpected death in 1948 deeply affected her.^[8] This tragic situation furthermore left the young family in a difficult financial state. In these reduced circumstances, they were forced to move from their large family villa in northern Tehran into a shared apartment with one of Farideh Ghotbi’s brothers.

Education and engagement[link]

The young Farah Diba began her education at Tehran’s Italian School, then moved to the French Jeanne d'Arc School and later to the Lycee Razi. She was an accomplished athlete in her youth and became captain of her school's basketball team. Upon finishing her studies at the Lycee Razi, she pursued an interest in architecture at the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, where she was a student of Albert Besson.

Many Iranian students who were studying abroad at this time were dependent on State sponsorship in order to do so. Therefore when the Shah, as head of state, made official visits to foreign countries, he would frequently meet with a selection of local Iranian students. It was during such a meeting in 1959 at the Iranian Embassy in Paris that Farah Diba was first presented to Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.

After returning to Tehran in the summer of 1959, the Shah and Farah Diba began a carefully choreographed courtship, orchestrated in part by the Shah’s daughter Princess Shahnaz. The couple announced their engagement on 23 November 1959.

Marriage and family[link]

The Imperial Family after the coronation ceremonies in 1967.

Farah Diba married Shah Mohammed Reza on 21 December 1959, aged 21. The young Queen of Iran (as she was styled at the time) was the object of much curiosity and her wedding garnered worldwide press attention. Her gown was by Yves St Laurent, then a designer at the house of Dior,^[9] and she wore the newly-commissioned Noor-ol-Ain Diamond tiara.

After the pomp and celebrations associated with the Royal wedding were completed, the success of this union became contingent upon the Queen’s ability to produce a male heir. Although he had been married twice before, the Shah’s previous marriages had given him only a daughter, who under agnatic primogeniture could not inherit the throne. The pressure for the young Queen was acute. The Shah himself was deeply anxious to have a male heir as were the members of his government.^[10] It was, furthermore, no secret that the dissolution of the Shah’s previous marriage to Queen Soraya had been due to her infertility.^[11]

The long-awaited heir, Reza Pahlavi, was born on 30 October 1960. Together the couple would go on to have four children:

• H.I.H. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (born 30 October 1960)
• H.I.H. Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi (born 12 March 1963)
• H.I.H. Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi (28 April 1966 – 4 January 2011)
• H.I.H. Princess Leila Pahlavi ( 27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001)

As Queen and Empress[link]

The exact role which the new Queen would play if any, in public or government affairs, was uncertain. Within the Imperial Household, her public function was secondary to the far more pressing matter of assuring the succession. However, after the birth of the Crown Prince, the new Queen was free to devote more of her time to other activities and official pursuits.

Farah Pahlavi at work in her office in Tehran, 1970s.

Not unlike many other Royal consorts, the young Queen initially limited herself to a ceremonial role. She spent much of her time attending the openings of various education and health-care institutions, without venturing too deeply into issues of controversy. However, as time progressed, this position changed. The Queen became much more actively involved in government affairs where it concerned issues and causes that interested her. She used her proximity and influence with her husband, the Shah, to secure funding and focus attention on causes, particularly in the areas of women's rights and cultural development.

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, and his wife, Empress Farah, wave goodbye prior to boarding an aircraft after a visit to the United States.

Eventually, the Queen came to preside over a staff of 40 workers who handled various requests for assistance on a range of issues. She became one of the most highly visible figures in the Imperial Government and the patron of 24 educational, health and cultural organizations. Her humanitarian role earned her immense popularity for a time, particularly in the early 1970s.^[12] During this period, she travelled a great deal within Iran, visiting some of the remotest parts of the country and meeting with the local citizens.

The Imperial Government in Tehran was not unaware of her popularity. Her significance was exemplified by her part in the 1967 Coronation Ceremonies, where she was crowned as the first Shahbanou, or Empress, of modern Iran. It was again confirmed when the Shah named her as the official Empress Regent should he die or be incapacitated before the Crown Prince’s 21st birthday. The naming of a woman as Regent was highly unusual for a Middle-Eastern Monarchy.^[12]

Farah's tenure as Empress was not without controversy. The causes she championed and her role in government sometimes came into conflict with certain groups, particularly religious conservatives.^{[citation needed]} This group’s dissatisfaction was aimed at the entire Pahlavi government and not solely at the Empress. Although not the source of the animosity, the Empress became its target.^{[citation needed]}

She, along with the entire Pahlavi government, was criticized for what were perceived as excesses.^{[citation needed]} Two State occasions garnered particular ire, the elaborate Coronation ceremonies in 1967, but predominantly the 2,500 year celebration of Iran's monarchy held in 1971 in the ancient city of Persepolis. While the Empress herself defended this event as a magnificent showcase of Iran’s history and its contemporary advancements, critics claimed the cost (which although disputed was certainly in the tens of millions of dollars^{[citation needed]}) was far too high, given the other more pressing financial needs of the country.^{[citation needed]}

Contributions to art and culture[link]

Iranian Imperial Family

HIH The Crown Prince HIH The Crown Princess HIH Princess Noor HIH Princess Iman HIH Princess Farah HIM Empress Farah HIH Princess Shahnaz HIH Princess Farahnaz HIH Prince Ali-Reza† HIH Princess Iryana Extended imperial family HIH Princess Ashraf HIH Prince Ali Patrick HIH Princess Sonja HIH Prince Davoud HIH Princess Solvène HIH Prince Houd HIH Prince Yunes HIH Princess Iryana Leila HIH Prince Gholam Reza HIH Princess Manizheh HIH Prince Bahman HIH Princess Shohreh HIH Princess Nazbanoo HIH Princess Maryam HIH Princess Azardokht HIH Prince Bahram HIH Prince Kamyar HIH Princess Sarvnaz HIH Prince Shahrukh HIH Princess Shahlah HIH Prince Shahin HIH Prince Iskander HIH Prince Zachary HIH Prince Gregory HIH Princess Zara HIH Princess Shahrnaz HIH Princess Parinaz HIH Princess Niloufar HIH Princess Nazak HIH Prince Ja'afar v t e

From even the beginning of her reign, the Empress took an active interest in promoting culture and the arts in Iran. Through her patronage, numerous organizations were created and fostered to further her ambition of bringing historical and contemporary Iranian Art to prominence both inside Iran and in the Western world.

In addition to her own efforts, the Empress sought to achieve this goal with the assistance of various foundations and advisers. Her ministry encouraged many forms of artistic expression, including traditional Iranian arts (such as weaving, singing, and poetry recital) as well as Western theatre. Her most recognized endeavour supporting the performing arts was her patronage of the Shiraz Arts Festival. This occasionally controversial event was held annually from 1967 until 1977 and featured live performances by both Iranian and Western artists.^[13]

The majority of her time, however, went into the creation of museums and the building of their collections.

Ancient art[link]

An historically culturally-rich country, the Iran of the 1960s had little to show for it. Many of the great artistic treasures produced during its 2,500-year history had found their way into the hands of foreign museums and private collections. It became one of the Empress's principal goals to procure for Iran an appropriate collection of their own historic artifacts. To that end, she secured from her husband’s Government permission and funds to ‘buy back’ a wide selection of Iranian artifacts from foreign and domestic collections. This was achieved with the help of the brothers Houshang and Mehdi Mahboubian, the most prominent Iranian antiquities dealers of the era, who advised the Empress from 1972 to 1978.^[14] With these artifacts she founded several national museums (many of which still survive to this day) and began an Iranian version of the National Trust.^[15]

Museums and cultural centres created under her guidance include the Negarestan Cultural Center, the Reza Abbasi Museum, the Khorramabad Museum with its valuable collection of Lorestān bronzes, the National Carpet Gallery and the Abgineh Museum for ceramics and glass works.^[16]

Contemporary art[link]

Aside from building a collection of historic Iranian artifacts, the Empress also expressed interest in acquiring contemporary Western and Iranian art. To this end, she put her significant patronage behind the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. The fruits of her work in founding and expanding that institution are perhaps the Empress' most enduring cultural legacy to the people of Iran.

Using funds allocated from the Government, the Empress took advantage of a somewhat depressed art market of the 1970s to purchase several important works of Western art. Under her guidance,^{[citation needed]} the Museum acquired nearly 150 great works by such notable artists as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, George Grosz, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Roy Lichtenstein. Today, the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is widely considered to be one of the finest 20th-century Western art collections in the world, in addition to being the most significant outside of Europe and the United States. It is somewhat remarkable then, according to Parviz Tanavoli, a modern Iranian sculptor and a former Cultural Adviser to the Empress, that the impressive collection was amassed for "tens, not hundreds, of millions of dollars".^[15] Today, the value of these holdings are conservatively estimated to be near US$ 2.8 billion.^[17]

The collection created a conundrum for the anti-western Islamic Republic which took power after the fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty in 1979. Although politically the fundamentalist government rejected Western influence in Iran, the Western art collection amassed by the Empress was retained, most likely due to its enormous value. It was, nevertheless, not publicly displayed and spent nearly two decades in storage in the vaults of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. This caused much speculation as to the fate of the artwork which was only put to rest after a large portion of the collection was briefly seen again in an exhibition that took place in Tehran during September 2005.^[17]

The Iranian Revolution[link]

The Shah and Empress Farah shortly before leaving Iran in 1979.

In Iran by early 1978, a number of factors contributed to the internal dissatisfaction with the Imperial Government becoming more pronounced.

Discontent within the country continued to escalate and later in the year led to demonstrations against the monarchy.^[18] The Empress could not help but be aware of the disturbances and records in her memoirs that during this time ‘there was an increasingly palpable sense of unease’. Under these circumstances most of the Empress’ official activities were cancelled due to concerns for her safety.^[10]

As the year came to a close, the political situation deteriorated further. Riots and unrest grew more frequent, culminating in January 1979. The government enacted martial law in most major Iranian cities and the country was on the verge of an open revolution.

It was at this time, in response to the violent protests, that the Shah and Empress Farah determined to leave the country. Both the Shah and Shahbanu departed Iran via aircraft on 16 January 1979.

Farah Pahlavi's doodled picture at anti-Pahlavi protesters hands

After leaving Iran[link]

The question of where the Shah and Empress would go upon leaving Iran was the subject of some debate, even among the monarch and his advisers.^[19] During his reign, the Shah had maintained close relations with Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and the Empress had developed a close friendship with the President’s wife, Jehan Al Sadat. The Egyptian President extended an invitation to the Imperial Couple for asylum in Egypt and they accepted.

Due to the political situation unfolding in Iran, many governments, including those which had been on friendly terms with the Iranian Monarchy prior to the revolution, saw the Shah’s presence within their borders as a liability. Although a callous reversal, this was not entirely unfounded as the Revolutionary Government in Iran had ordered the arrest (and later death) of both the Shah and Empress Farah. The new Iranian Government would go on to vehemently demand their extradition a number of times but the extent to which it would act in pressuring foreign powers for the deposed monarch's return (and presumably that of the Empress) was at that time unknown. Regardless, the predicament was complex.^[20]

The Shah and Empress were far from unaware of this complexity and cognizant of the potential danger which their presence carried to their host. In response, the Imperial Couple left Egypt, beginning a fourteen-month long search for permanent asylum and a journey which took them through many different countries. After Egypt, they first traveled to Morocco, where they were briefly the guests of King Hassan II.

After leaving Morocco, the Shah and Empress were granted temporary refuge in the Bahamas and given use of a small beach property located on Paradise Island. Ironically, Empress Farah recalls the time spent at this pleasantly named location as some of the ‘darkest days in her life’.^[10] After their Bahaman visas expired and were not renewed, they made an appeal to Mexico, which was granted, and rented a villa in Cuernavaca near Mexico City.

The Shah’s illness[link]

After leaving Egypt the Shah’s health began a rapid decline due to a long-term battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The seriousness of that illness brought the now exiled Imperial couple briefly to the United States in search of medical treatment. The couple’s presence in the United States further inflamed the already tense relations between Washington and the revolutionaries in Tehran. The Shah’s stay in the US, although for genuine medical purposes, became the tipping point for renewed hostilities between the two nations. These events ultimately led to the attack and takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran in what became known as the Iran hostage crisis.

In these difficult circumstances, the Shah and Empress were not given permission to remain in the United States. A short time after receiving basic medical attention, the couple again departed to Latin America, although this time destined for Contadora Island in Panama.

By now, both the Shah and Empress viewed the Carter Administration with some antipathy in response to a lack of support and were initially pleased to leave. That attitude, however soured as speculation arose that the Panamanian Government was seeking to arrest the Shah in preparation for extradition to Iran.^[21] Under these conditions the Shah and Empress again made an appeal to President Anwar El Sadat to return to Egypt (for her part Empress Farah writes that this plea was made through a conversation between herself and Jehan Al Sadat). Their request was granted and they returned to Egypt in March 1980, where they remained until the Shah’s death four months later on 27 July 1980.

Life in exile[link]

After the Shah’s death, the exiled Empress remained in Egypt for nearly two years. President Sadat gave her and her family use of Koubbeh Palace in Cairo. A few months after President Sadat’s assassination in October 1981, the Empress and her family left Egypt. President Ronald Reagan informed the Empress that she was welcome in the United States.^[22]

She first settled in Williamstown, Massachusetts but later bought a home in Greenwich, Connecticut. After the death of her daughter Princess Leila in 2001, she purchased a smaller home in Potomac, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., to be closer to her son and grandchildren. Empress Farah now divides her time between Washington D.C and Paris. She also makes an annual July pilgrimage to the late Shah's mausoleum at Cairo's al-Rifa'i Mosque.

The Empress supports charities, including the Annual Alzheimer Gala IFRAD (International Fund Raising for Alzheimer Disease) held in Paris.^[23]

She was featured in a Swedish documentary made by Swedish-Iranian film director Nahid Persson Sarvestani titled The Queen and I in 2008.

The Empress continues to appear at certain international royal events, such as the 2004 wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, and the 2010 wedding of Prince Nikolaos of Greece.

Grandchildren[link]

The Empress currently has three grandchildren (granddaughters) through her son Reza and his wife Yasmine.

• Noor (3 April 1992)
• Iman (12 September 1993)
• Farah (17 January 2004)

The Empress also has one granddaughter through her late son Alireza Pahlavi and his companion Raha Didevar.^[24]

• Iryana Leila (26 July 2011)

Memoir[link]

In 2003, Farah Pahlavi wrote a book about her marriage to the Shah entitled An Enduring Love: My Life with the Shah. The publication of the former Empress's memoirs attracted international interest. It was a best-seller in Europe, with excerpts appearing in news magazines and the author appearing on talk shows and in other media outlets. However, opinion about the book, which Publishers Weekly called "a candid, straightforward account" and the Washington Post called "engrossing", was mixed.^{[citation needed]}

The New York Times, Elaine Sciolino, the paper's Paris bureau chief, gave the book a less than flattering review, describing it as "well translated" but "full of anger and bitterness.".^[25] National Review's, Reza Bayegan, an Iranian writer, however praised the memoir as "abound[ing] with affection and sympathy for her countrymen."^[26]

Titles, styles and honours[link]

Imperial Standard

Styles of Empress Farah of Iran
Reference style	Her Imperial Majesty
Spoken style	Your Imperial Majesty
Alternative style	Ma'am

Titles and styles[link]

• Miss Farah Diba (1938–1959)
• Her Imperial Majesty The Queen of Iran (1959–1967)
• Her Imperial Majesty The Empress of Iran (1967–1979)
• Her Imperial Majesty Empress Farah of Iran (pretender, 1979–present)

Honours[link]

• Order of the Pleiades, 1st Class of Iran (1959)
• Member of the Order of the Seraphim of Sweden (1960)
• Knight of the Order of the Elephant of Denmark (1963)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (1963)
• Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur of France (1963)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Queen of Sheba of Ethiopia (1964)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold of Belgium (1964)
• Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav of Norway (1965)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence of Tunisia (1965)
• Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil (1965)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin of Argentina (1965)
• Order of the Yugoslav Star, 1st Class of Yugoslavia (1966)
• Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria in Gold with Sash (1966)
• Special Class of the Bundesverdienstkreuz of West Germany (1967)
• Order of Aryamehr, 1st Class of Iran (1967)
• Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN, 1968)
• Grand Cordon (1st Class) of the Order of the Precious Crown of Japan (1968)
• Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri of Thailand (1968)
• Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy (1974)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel the Catholic of Spain (1975)

Gallery[link]

• 

  Farah Pahlavi with sash and insignia of Order of Aryamehr^[27]

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Bandar Abbas.

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Charles de Gaulle

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and schoolgirls in Jiroft.

• 

  Farah Pahlavi among nurses in Kermanshah.

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Frank Sinatra, Tehran, 1975

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Mohammadreza Pahlavi with Leonid Brezhnev

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Mohammadreza Pahlavi with Hua Guofeng

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting an orphanage in Kerman

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Sistan va Baluchestan

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting lepers in Behkadeh Raji

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Mahabad

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Lahijan

• 

  Farah Pahlavi in Luri costume in Lorestan

See also[link]

	Iran portal
	Biography portal

• Yasmine Pahlavi
• Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt
• Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari
• Iranian women
• Iranian Crown Jewels

References[link]

External links[link]

• Farah Pahlavi's official website
• Biography Portal Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi (Persian)
• Farah Pahlavi, Iran's Ex-Empress, Receives the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Grace and Distinction Award 2005
• Shahram Razavi's online photo album "Imperial Iran of the Pahlavi Dynasty"
• A web site dedicated to Reza Shah Kabir (the great) including video clip and photos

Mohammed Farah

Farah at the 2008 European Cross Country Championships
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1983-03-23) 23 March 1983 (age 29) Mogadishu, Somalia[1]
Residence	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Weight	65 kg (140 lb; 10.2 st)[2]
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, 10,000 m
Club	Newham and Essex Beagles Oregon Track Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:48.69 (Eton 2003) 1500 m: 3:33.98 (Monaco 2009) 3000 m: 7:34.47 (Birmingham 2009) 5000 m: 12:53.11 (Monaco 2011) 10000 m: 26:46.57 (Eugene 2011) Half Marathon: 60:23 (New York 2011)
Medal record Men's athletics Competitor for  Great Britain World Championships Gold 2011 Daegu 5000 m Silver 2011 Daegu 10000 m European Championships Gold 2010 Barcelona 10000 m Gold 2010 Barcelona 5000 m Silver 2006 Göteborg 5000 m European Indoor Championships Gold 2009 Torino 3000 m Gold 2011 Paris 3000 m European Cross Country Championships Gold 2006 San Giorgio su Legnano Individual Silver 2008 Brussels Individual Silver 2009 Dublin Individual Silver 2009 Dublin Team Bronze 2008 Brussels Team European Team Championships Gold 2009 Leiria 5000 m

Mohamed "Mo" Farah (Somali: Muxammad Faarax, Arabic: محمد فرح‎; born 23 March 1983 in Mogadishu, Somalia^[1]) is a Somalia-born British international track and field athlete, and current 5000 m world champion. On the track, he generally competes over 5000 metres and 10,000 metres, but also runs the 3000 metres and occasionally the 1500 metres. He has expressed a desire to move up to the marathon after the 2012 Olympics.^[3]

Farah holds the European track record for 10,000 metres, the British road record for 10,000 metres, the British indoor record in the 3000 metres, the British track record for 5000 metres, the British half-marathon record, and the European indoor record for 5000 metres. In July 2010, Farah won Britain's first-ever men's European gold medal at 10,000 m.^[4] He followed this with a gold in the 5000 m, becoming the 5th male athlete to complete the long-distance double at the championships and the first British man to do so.^[5] At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, he won silver in the 10,000 m and gold in the 5000 m.^[6]

In addition, Farah competes in cross-country running, where in December 2006 he became European champion in Italy.^[7] He also took gold in the 3000 metres in both the 2009 and 2011 European Indoor Championships, in Turin and Paris respectively.

Farah was originally based in London and ran for Newham and Essex Beagles athletics club, training at St Mary's University College, Twickenham's sports facilities in Strawberry Hill from 2001 to 2011. In 2011 he relocated to Oregon, USA, in order to further his training. He is an ambassador for Bupa, Lucozade Sport and Nike. Farah was voted 2011 European athlete of the year from twelve nominees, with Christophe Lemaitre in second place.^[8]

Biography[link]

Junior career[link]

Farah was born in Somalia.^[1] He grew up in Djibouti, and arrived in Britain aged 8 years old, speaking barely a word of English.^[1] Farah's father, on the other hand,his father was born in England and grew up in Hounslow. His parents met after his father went on holiday to Somalia.^[9]

Farah attended Feltham Community College in London. His athletic talent was identified by physical education teacher Alan Watkinson at Isleworth and Syon School, who later said of Farah: "When I first met him, he was struggling academically and suffering from the language barrier.^[10] He needed focus and I sort of took him under my wing. His passion was football but it was his turn of speed on the pitch that showed his real talent. His ambitions consisted of playing on the right wing for Arsenal.^[11] Watkinson would offer Farah the incentive of playing football for 30 minutes in the gym before taking him to the running club.

In 1996, at the age of 13, Farah entered the English schools cross country and finished ninth. The following year he won the first of five English school titles.^[10]

His first major title was at 5000 metres at the European Athletics Junior Championship in 2001^[12], the same year that he began training at St Mary's University College, Twickenham. That year Farah became one of the first two athletes in the newly formed Endurance Performance Centre at St Mary’s. He lived and trained at the College, and took some modules in an access course before becoming a full-time athlete as his career progressed.

Senior career[link]

2005–2008[link]

In 2005, Farah made an important move, moving in with Australian Craig Mottram and a group of Kenyan runners that included 10,000 metres world number one Micah Kogo. "They sleep, eat, train and rest, that's all they do but as an athlete you have to do all those things. Running with Craig made me feel more positive," Farah said. "If I ever want to be as good as these athletes I've got to work harder. I don't just want to be British number one, I want to be up there with the best."^[10]

In July 2006, Farah clocked a time of 13 minutes 9.40 seconds for 5000 m to become Britain's second-fastest runner after Dave Moorcroft. A month later Farah collected the silver medal in the European Championship 5000 m in Gothenburg. Coaches Alan Storey and Mark Rowland made sure that Farah remained competitive and a few words from Paula Radcliffe before the 5000 m final inspired Farah. He has stated that: "She said to me, 'Go out and be brave. Just believe in yourself'."^[10]

In December 2006, Farah won the European Cross Country Championship in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy.^[7]

Farah represented the UK at 5000 m in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Farah finished sixth in a time of 13:47.54.^[13]

In May 2008, Farah ran 10,000 m events, claiming the fastest UK men's time for almost eight years. However, he suffered disappointment at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, being knocked out before the final in the 5000 m event.

2009–2010: British records and European champion[link]

In January 2009, Farah set a new British indoor record in the 3000 metres, breaking John Mayock's record with a time of 7 minutes 40.99 seconds in Glasgow.^[14] A few weeks later he broke his own record by more than six seconds with a time of 7 minutes 34.47 at the UK Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham,^[15] a performance which commentator Steve Cram called "the best performance by a male British distance runner for a generation".^[16] Farah attributed his good form to a spell of winter training at altitude in Ethiopia and Kenya.^[17] In March 2009 he took gold in the 3000 m at the European Indoor Championships in Turin, recording a time of 7 minutes 40.17.^[18]

Farah shadowing Ayad Lamdassem in the 10,000 m final of the 2010 European Athletics Championships

He competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics: he was in the leading pack early on in the 5000 metres race and eventually finished seventh – the best by a European runner. After the championships, he scored a victory in his first road competition over 10 miles, winning the Great South Run in 46:25 to become the third fastest Briton in spite of strong winds.^[19]

Farah was one of the favourites to upset Serhiy Lebid's dominance at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships.^[20] However, Lebid was never in contention as Farah and Alemayehu Bezabeh were some distance ahead throughout. Farah was overtaken by Bezabeh in the latter stages of the race, leaving the Briton with a second consecutive silver medal at the competition.^[21] He did not manage to attend the medal ceremony, however, as he collapsed immediately after the race and needed medical attention.^[22] After a close third place behind Edwin Soi at the BOclassic,^[23] he competed in the short course race at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country. He was the favourite to win and surged ahead to build a comfortable lead. However, he appeared tired in the latter stages and finished third behind British runners Ricky Stevenson and Steve Vernon. Farah again required post-race medical attention and subsequent tests revealed he had low levels of iron and magnesium. He was prescribed supplements for the condition and his high altitude training plans in Kenya were unaffected.^[24]

Farah celebrating his 2010 European Championships 10,000 metres gold medal

He won the 2010 London 10,000 in late May with a British road record time of 27:44, beating 10K world record holder Micah Kogo in the process.^[25] His success continued the following week at the European Cup 10,000 m as he improved his track best by nearly 16 seconds, finishing in 27:28.86. He won by a margin of over forty seconds ahead of second placed Abdellatif Meftah.^[26] After training in Africa, he returned to Europe for the 2010 European Athletics Championships. He took the 10,000 metres gold medal, overtaking Ayad Lamdassem with two laps to go and finishing the race unpressured in a time of 28:24.99. This was Farah's first major title and also the first European gold medal in the event for Great Britain.^[27] He then went on to win the 5000 m from Jesus Espana, becoming only the fifth man in the 66-year history of the European Championships to achieve the 5000 m/10,000 m double, and the first for 20 years, following in the footsteps of the Czech Emil Zatopek in 1950, Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak of Poland in 1958, Finland’s Juha Vaatainen in 1971 and Salvatore Antibo, of Italy, in 1990.^[5][28]

On 19 August 2010, at a Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Farah ran 5000 m in 12:57.94, breaking David Moorcroft's long-standing British record and becoming the first ever British athlete to run under 13 minutes.^[29] In December 2010, Farah was named the track-and-field athlete of the year for 2010 by the British Olympic Association.^[30] He closed the year at the BOclassic and just missed out on the 10K title, losing out to Imane Merga in a sprint finish by 0.2 seconds.^[31]

2011: European and British records, and world medals[link]

2011 proved to be a highly successful year for Farah, beginning on 8 January at the Edinburgh Cross Country, where he defeated the top four finishers of that year's European Championships to take victory in the long race.^[32]

In February 2011, Farah announced that he would be relocating to Portland, Oregon, USA, to work with new coach Alberto Salazar. On 19 February 2011 in Birmingham, England, he broke the European 5000 m indoor record with a time of 13:10.60, at the same time taking ten seconds off the 29-year-old British indoor record of Nick Rose.^[33]

On 5 March 2011, he won gold in the 3000 metres at the European Indoor Championships.

On 20 March 2011 he won the NYC Half Marathon in a time of 1:00:23, a new British record.^[34][35] He and training partner Galen Rupp had originally planned on running a 10,000 m race in New Zealand, but after it was canceled due to an earthquake and damage done to the track, they entered the half-marathon in New York.

On 3 June 2011, at a Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon, USA, Farah won the Prefontaine Classic 10,000 m in 26:46.57, setting a new British and European record.^[36]

On 22 July 2011, at a Diamond League meeting in Monaco, he set a new British national record in the 5000 m with a time of 12:53.11.^[37] He edged out American Bernard Lagat to win.^[37]

In the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, in Daegu, South Korea, Farah made a major breakthrough on the world stage by taking the silver medal in the 10,000 m and then the gold in the 5000 m.^[38] He became the first British man to win a global title over either distance.^[39] Farah had in fact been more strongly fancied to take the 10,000 m title, but was narrowly beaten in a last lap sprint by Ethiopian Ibrahim Jeilan. In the 5000 m he overcame Bernard Lagat, perhaps his major rival, beating him into second place. Following the race, Dave Moorcroft, former 5000 metres world record holder, hailed Farah as "the greatest male distance runner that Britain has ever seen".^[40]

Personal life[link]

In April 2010 Farah married his longtime partner Tania Nell, in Richmond, London. Other athletes at the wedding included Paula Radcliffe, Steve Cram, Hayley Yelling, Jo Pavey, and Swedish steeplechaser Mustafa Mohamed.^[41] He has a six year-old step-daughter, Rihanna.^[42] He is a fan of Arsenal Football Club.^[43]

Achievements[link]

Personal bests[link]

+ intermediate split in longer race

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• IAAF profile for Mohamed Farah
• Guardian article by Steve Cram
• Mo Farah's Rising Star profile on spikesmag.com
• In-depth article from Independent