Iraj Mirza was also a political activist.

Prince Iraj Mirza (1874–1926) (titled Jalāl-ol-Mamālek), son of prince Gholam Hossein Mirza, was a famous Iranian poet. He was a modern poet and his works are associated with the criticism of traditions. He had translations from the French language.

Life[link]

Iraj was born in October 1874 in Tabriz, the capital city of East Azarbaijan province in Iran. His Pedigree chart shows that he was a descendant of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, the second shah of Qajar dynasty (reigned 1797–1834). His Father, prince Gholam Hossein Mirza was son of prince Malek Iraj Mirza son of Fat'h Ali Shah Qajar

Gholam Hossein Mirza, Iraj's father, was a poet laureate or the official court-poet of Mozaffar al-Din Mirza. Mozaffar al-Din Mirza, the son of Nasser-al-Din Shah (the fourth shah of Qajar dynasty reigned 1848–1896), was the Crown Prince (in Persian: Vali-Ahd) of Iran at the time. (As a tradition, all Crown Princes during Qajar era used to reside in Tabriz). Though some literatures indicate that Iraj was schooled privately, there are reliable evidences that he studied at a branch of the House of Sciences and Techniques (in Persian: Darolfonoon) in Tabriz. At 15, he was fluent in French, Arabic and Turkish. He was also familiar with the art of calligraphy. His handwriting was very artistic and he was and still is considered as one of the famous calligraphers of Iran. At 16, Iraj got married and at 19 he lost both his father and wife. He then took the position of his late father and became the court-poet of Mozaffar al-Din Mirza . At 22, when Mozaffar al-Din Mirza was succeeded to the throne in 1896 and became Mozaffar al-Din Shah; Iraj was titled as the Head of Poets (in Persian: Sadrol-Shaaeryn or Sadrol-Show-Araa). He was then titled as Jalal-ol-mamalek.

Few years later, however, he left the royal court and joined the Tabriz office of Ali Khan Amindowleh AKA) who was the governor of East Azarbaijan. At this time Iraj learned French and became very much familiar with Russian too. In 1905, when AKA was relocated and moved to Tehran, Iraj also accompanied him and soon became involved in the Iranian or Persian Constitutional Revolution. In 1907 when Ahmad Ghavam Saltaneh (AGS), a governmental authority, was assigned to go to Europe, Iraj was asked to join AGS. Two years later, Iraj returned to Tehran where he started to work as a staff member of the Office of Official Compositions (in Persian: Daarol-en-Shaa). In 1915, his first son, Ja'afar Gholi Mirza, due to some psychological problems committed suicide.

In 1917, Iraj joined the newly established Ministry of Culture, and three years later he was transferred to the Ministry of Finance and Revenue. From 1920 to 1925 he worked as a Revenue Officer in Mashhad (the capital city of Razavi Khorasan, a province in northeast of Iran). At 52, Iraj moved back to Tehran where he died on March 14, 1926. He was survived by his second son, Khosrow Iraj.

Poems[link]

Iraj is considered as one of the famous contemporary poets of Iran and also as the first Iranian master of colloquial poetry. In his verses he uses the actual words of everyday speech. The origin of this tendency has come to be identified with his name. (Centuries earlier, the poet Ferdowsi in his epic book of Shahnameh had referred to someone by the name of Iraj as an Iranian who is noble and wise). Through Iraj, poetic language was enriched with many colloquial words and expressions. His simple poetic language is also famous for its witticism and satire.

During Qajar era, Iraj was influenced by the Iranian or Persian Constitutional Revolution (1906–1911) and by the changing circumstances in the country. This fact is manifested in the particular style of poetry that he created. Modern and imported concepts, combined with what were obtained from his own thoughts, form the framework of his style. He criticizes the social conditions of the country, and the striking originality in his use of metaphor when addressing diverse social problems has been admirable by his critics. His style is rich in the Art of Simile (in Persian: Honar-e-Tashbeeh). His striking sarcasm, pungent and fanged words are pointed at the dishonest clergy, businessmen, merchants (in Persian: Baazari-Haa) and statesmen. In addition to those colloquial poems, Iraj also composed elegies (in Persian: Soognameh or Marssieh) to praise Mozzafar-al-Din Shah, Hassan Ali Khan Garroosy (also known as Amir Nezam Garroosy, the governor of East Azarbaijan and Kermanshah during Qajar era), and many other Qajar historical personalities. His praise never shaded into flattery. Iraj also composed very nice Massnawi and Fragments or Ghata'at (Different Styles of Persian Poetry) on the raising and education of children, maternal affection, love and romance. He was an enlightened, innovative poet, and tended to European thought. Despite his famous technical skills, he sometimes used similar cases of rhyme, which is considered by some poetry researchers as an intentional rejection of strict traditional poetical rules. Although Iraj was one of the pioneers of the innovative movement in the Persian Poetry, he never thought of abandoning the rules of the classic poetry. Some scholars believe that because of the time in which he lived, his depth of literary knowledge and his familiarity with French and other foreign languages, he could also have been one of the masters of free verse if he wanted to.

He is particularly famous for his pederastic and satirical poetry. Among many poems that Iraj composed, his well-known poems include Satan (in Persian: Ebleess), Mother (in Persian: Maadar), A Letter to a Poet Aref Ghazvini (in Persian: Arefnameh), Woman's Picture (in Persian: Tassvir-e-Zan), Story of the Veil or Hijab (in Persian: hejab) and the Story of Zohreh and Manouchehr (in Persian: Daastan-e-Zohreh-o-Manouchehr), which is based on William Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis.

In Satan, Iraj explains how a wife maliciously complains against her mother-in-law, and encourages her husband to kill his own Mother and bring the heart for her: A Young Man, ignores the respect of his Mother; pushes her to the ground; cuts her chest and takes her heart out; and goes toward a door. All of a sudden, the man falls as injures. He then clearly hears that his Mother's heart cries as: Oh! My son's hand got cut. Oh! My son's foot was hurt! In this poem Iraj plainly presents the evidence of an Unconditional Love.

The Story of Zohreh and Manouchehr is one of his famous poetic works. Here Iraj tells the story based on the Greek myth of Venus and Adonis. In this poem, Zohreh leaves the gods and comes to Earth, where she is overcome by the pleasing charm of Manouchehr in his armor. He rejects her advances while Zohreh attempts her first seduction. She goes to great pains to explain the beauty of lovemaking and she finally goes her own way as she returns to the gods. (Just for the record: On December 8, 2004 the last Iranian movies launched in France was The Story of Zohreh and Manouchehr directed by Mitra Farahani. The film had already participated in Berlin film festival and several other international events and attracted many viewers). Iraj was known to believe that the status of Iranian women at his time was devastatingly reminiscent of the Dark Ages. Iraj could not bear to see that life was intolerable, unbearable and miserable for the courageous and valorous women of Iran. That was why he composed the very powerful and memorable pieces of Woman's Picture Iran Photo Persian Gallery Iranian: Click image to close this window at www.iranian.ws and the Story of the Veil^[1]

Tomb[link]

His tomb is in Zahir o-dowleh Cemetery between Darband and Tajrish located in Shemiran, north of Tehran.

Works[link]

• Poems Divan
• Masnavis of Zohre va Manuchehr (in Persian, not completed)
• Masnavi of Arefnameh
• Iraj Literary Works
• Romeo and Juliet (Translation from French)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Iraj Mirza Jalaalol-Mamalek: A Reference Article on the First Iranian Master of Colloquial Poetry by Manouchehr Saadat Noury
• A survey of biography, thoughts, and works and ancestors of Irajmirza, Dr. Mohammadja'far Mahbub, Golshan Printing House, Tehran, 1977
• Mo'in Persian Dictionary, Amirkabir Publishers, Vol.5,
• From Saba till Nima, Vol. 1, Yahya Aryanpur, Tehran, Zavvar Publishers, Tehran

External links[link]

• Photographs of the grave of Iraj Mirza, Zahir od-Dowleh cemetery: (1), (2).

• "Aman az in Del" sang by Ghamar on Iraj Mirza's death [1]

v t e Personalities involved in the Persian Constitutional Revolution Qajar dynasty Tobacco Protest Persian Constitutional Revolution Kings Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar Ahmad Shah Qajar Princes Kamran Mirza Nayeb es-Saltaneh Abdol Majid Mirza Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan Malek Mansur Mirza Shao es-Saltaneh Governmental Persons Mirza Nasrullah Khan Hassan Pirnia Abdol-Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma Ali Asghar Khan Mohammad Vali Khan Tonekaboni Mostowfi ol-Mamalek Ali-Qoli Khan Bakhtiari Sheikh Khaz'al Colonel Pessian Yeprem Khan Morteza Gholi Khan Hedayat Mehdi Qoli Hedayat Political Intellectuals Mirza Abdul'Rahim Talibov Tabrizi Mirza Malkam Khan Sayyid Hossein Ardabili Hassan Taqizadeh Ahmad Kasravi Haji-Mirza Hassan Roshdieh Hajj Sayyah Iranian Clerics Mohammad-Kazem Khorasani Jamal-al-Din al-Afghani Mirza Sayyed Mohammad Tabatabai Hassan Modarres Sheikh Fazlollah Noori Seqat-ol-Eslam Tabrizi Mohammad Khiabani Mirza Abutaleb Zanjani Iranian Writer and poets Iraj Mirza Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda Mirzadeh Eshghi Mirza Alakbar Sabir Aref Qazvini Mohammad-Taqi Bahar Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi Mirza Fatali Akhundov Jahangir-Khan Sur-e-Esrafil Commons Saad ad-Daula Sattar Khan Bāqer Khān Haydar Khan e Amo-oghli Yeprem Khan Mirza Reza Kermani Jamshid Bahman Jamshidian Foreigners William Morgan Shuster Howard Baskerville Edward Granville Browne Vladimir Liakhov Women Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh Bibi Khanoom Astarabadi Sediqeh Dowlatabadi

Indo-Persian Royal and Noble Ranks

Emperor : Sultan, Shah

King : Sultan, Shah

Royal Prince : Shahzada, Mirza

Noble Prince : Mirza, Sahibzada

Nobleman: Nawab, Baig

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Mirza (Persian: میرزا, Turkish: Mirza, Kazakh: мырза, myrza, Russian: мурза, Circassian: мырзэ), (common variance in Tatar nobility as Morza) is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince.^[1] It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood. It signified male-line descent and relationship to the Imperial Families of Turkey, Persia and later South Asia and was the title borne by members of the highest aristocracies in Tatar states, such as Khanate of Kazan, Khanate of Astrakhan and in the Russian Empire (Under Catherine the Great's rule the Murzas gained equal rights with the Russian nobility).^[2] In fact, Prince Felix Yusupov, the nephew-in-law of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was descended from Abdul Mirza, the first Prince Yusopov.^[3]

Etymology[link]

The word Mīrzā is derived from the Persian term ‘Amīrzāde which literally means "child of the ‘Amīr" or "child of the ruler" in Persia‘Amīrzād in turn consists of the Arabic title ‘Amīr (engl. Emir), meaning "commander", and the Persian suffix -zād, meaning "birth" or "lineage". Due to vowel harmony in Turkic languages, the alternative pronunciation Morza (plural morzalar; derived from the Persian word) is also used.^[4] In modern Kazakh myrza means gentleman, as is in the expression "hanymdar men myrzalar" (ladies and gentlemen).

History[link]

Persian Kingdom[link]

The titles themselves were given by the Kings, Sultans and Emperors (equivalent to the western Fount of honour) to their sons and grandsons, or even distant kins. Noblemen loyal to the kings also received this Title, although their usage differed. Aristocratic families (royal descent) from South Asia and individuals descended from the Persian nobility have 'Mirza' in their name.^[5]

The title itself came from the title emir. Emir, meaning "commander", -derived from the Semitic root Amr, "command". Originally simply meaning commander or leader, usually in reference to a group of people. It came to be used as a title of governors or rulers, usually in smaller states, and usually renders the English word "prince. Amir Sadri." The word entered English in 1595, from the French émir.^[6]

• His Highness Prince Shujaat Haider Mirza last one to "COMMAND" and also known as 'AMIR'
• His Highness Prince Irfan Haider Mirza
• His Highness Prince Zeeshan ali Mirza
• His Highness Prince ASLAM JAH MIRZA
• His Highness Prince Israr Mirza
• His Highness Prince Iraj Mirza
• His Highness Prince Malek Mansur Mirza Shao es-Saltaneh
• His Highness Prince Bahram Mirza Sardar Mass'oud
• His Highness Prince Abbas Mirza
• His Highness Prince Abdol Majid Mirza
• Highness Prince Ali-Mohammad Mirza
• His Highness Prince Bahram Mirza
• His Highness Prince Djahangir Mirza
• His Highness Prince Eskandar Mirza
• His Highness Prince Fereydoon Mirza
• His Highness Prince Mohammed Tareq Mirza
• His Highness Prince Hamid Mirza
• His Highness Prince Khanlar Mirza
• His Highness Prince Khosrow Mirza
• His Highness Prince Shairul Mirza
• His Highness of Highness Prince Muhammad Mirza
• His Highness Prince Mahmoud Mirza
• His Highness Prince of Fadi Malo George Mirza
• His Highness Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza
• His Highness Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza II
• His Highness Prince Nosrat-od-Dowleh Firouz Mirza
• His Highness Prince Kamran Mirza Nayeb es-Saltaneh
• His Highness Prince Firouz Mirza Nosrat-ed-Dowleh Farman Farmaian III
• His Highness Prince Ali Mirza Qajar
• His Highness Prince Nosrat al-Din Mirza Salar es-Saltaneh
• His Highness Prince Abdol-samad Mirza Ezz ed-Dowleh Saloor
• His Highness Prince Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan

South Asia[link]

Mirzas of the Mughal imperial family, 1878

Mirza was given to imperial prince; a title or part of a name implying relationship to the Turk dynasties like Mughal dynasty (the Imperial House of Timur).^[7] But in Indian royal families, the title can be placed both before the name and after it, such as Prince Mirza Mughal and Prince Kamran Mirza. Prince Khusrau Mirza was the grandson of Emperor Babur (Babur Mirza), son of Emperor Jahangir and a brother of Emperor Shah Jahan. Emperor Akbar Shah II was Prince Mirza Akbar before his coronation. Emperor Babur took the imperial title of Padishah on 6 March 1508, before which he used the title Mirza.^[8]

In the Indian subcontinent, especially Bengal and Bihar, the Mirzas are also known locally as the variant of Mridha (from Mirdhjah) usually due to the Bengali language not have a 'z' sounding alphabet.^[9] Mughal dynasty (the Imperial House of Timur "Sarai Mulk Khanam Qutubuddunniya wa Deen Amir Qutubuddin Taimur Baig Sahib-e-kiran).< Rulers of India included:

The Imperial Family of Hindustan

• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Zahiruddin 1523-1530,First Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Nasiruddin 1530-1539 & 1554-1555, Second Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Jalaluddin 1555-1605, Third Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Nuruddin 1605-1627, Fourth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Khurram 1627-1658, Fifth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Muhiuddin 1658-1707, sixth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Azam 1707, seventh Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Mu'Azzam 1707-1712, Eight Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Sultan Muizuddin Mirza 1712-1713, Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mouinudd'in Muhammad Mirza 1712-1719, Tenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Sultan Shamsuddin Mirza 1719, Eleventh Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Sultan Rafiuddin Mirza (later Shah Jahan II 1719, Twelfth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Sultan Nekusiyar Mirza 1719, Thirteenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Sultan Akhtar Mirza, Fourteenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Ahmad Shah Mirza 1720-1748, Fifteenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Aziz 'ud-Din Beg Mirza 1754-1759, Sixteenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Jalal 'ud-Din Mirza 1759-1760, Seventeenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Muhi-ul-millat Mirza 1788-1806, Eighteenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Mirza Akbar 1806-1837, Nineteenth Mughal Emperor.
• His Imperial Highness, The Emperor Sirajuddin Mirza 1837-1857, Mughal Emperor.

The Royal Family Mughal of Berar

• His Highness Prince Bedar Bakht Mirza, son of Emperor Mirza Azam
• His Highness Prince Mohammed Beg Feroz Bakht Mirza, son of Prince Bedar Bakht Mirza
• His Highness Prince Bulaqui Mirza, son of Prince Mirza Feroz Bakht
• His Highness Prince Sultan Bahaddur Aduli Mirza, son of Mirza Bulaqui Baig Bahaddur
• His Highness Prince Sardar Baig Mirza, son of Aduli Baig Mirza
• His Highness Prince Qadar Baig Mirza, son of Aduli Baig Mirza
• His Highness Prince Hatam Baig Mirza, son of Sardar Baig Mirza
• His Highness Prince Umrao Baig Mirza, son of Sardar Baig Mirza
• His Highness Prince Sulaiman Mirza, son of Hatam Baig Mirza
• His Highness Prince Mirza Abdul Razzak I son of Hatam Baig Mirza
• His Highness Prince Mirza Abdul Rasheed son of Mirza Abdur Razzak
• His Highness Prince Mirza Abdul Razzak II a.k.a Mohammed Rizwan Mirza son of Mirza Abdul Rasheed
• His Highness Prince Mirza Mohammad Gibran son of Mohammed Rizwan Mirza

• His Highness Prince Kamran Mirza, son of Emperor Babur, brother of Emperor Humayun
• His Highness Prince Haydar Mirza, cousin of Emperor Babur

The Royal Family of Bengal

• His Highness Mirza Shuja ud-din Muhammad Khan, Second Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• His Highness Mirza Asadullah, Third Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• His Highness Mirza Muhammad Ali, Fourth Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• His Highness Mirza Mohammad Siraj, Fifth Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• His Highness Mirza Hassan Ali Khan Bahadur, 18th Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• His Highness Mirza Wasif Ali Khan, 19th Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• His Highness Mirza Waris Ali Khan, 20th Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

The Royal Family of Awadh

• His Highness Mirza Muhammad Muqim Ali Khan, Second Nawab Subahdar of Awadh (Oudh)
• His Highness Mirza Amani Asif-ud-Dawlah, Fourth Nawab Subahdar of Awadh (Oudh)
• His Highness Mirza Asif Jah Wazir Ali Khan, Fifth Nawab Subahdar of Awadh (Oudh)
• His Highness Mirza Wajid Ali Shah, Eleventh Nawab Subahdar of Awadh (Oudh) (5th King of Awadh)

Notable Mirzas[link]

Nobility[link]

• Mirza Najaf Khan, Persian Prince, Indian Courtier and Commander in Chief of the Mughal Imperial Army.
• Mirza Agha Bakar, Persian Nobleman, Bengal Zamindar and son-in-law of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, the Ruler of Bengal.
• Khan Muhammad Mirza, Architect during the Mughal Era.

Religion[link]

• Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam
• Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• Mirza Nasir Ahmad, third Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• Mirza Tahir Ahmad, fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• Mirza Masroor Ahmad, fifth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Nuri: known as Baha'u'llah; Founder of the Baha'i Faith

Government[link]

• Iskandar Ali Mirza, was the first President & 4th Governor General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1956.
• Fahmida Mirza, She was elected as the first female Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan

Military[link]

• Mirza Aslam Baig, Former Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan
• Mirza Kuchak Khan: Persian revolutionary who led the Jungle Movement in the northern jungles of Gilan Province

Advocate[link]

• Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, Former Vice Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council

Academics and literature[link]

• Mirza Ghalib (born: Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan), a famous Urdu and Persian poet from South Asia who adorned the Mughal court
• Mirza Khan of "Mirza & Sahiba", a tragic Romeo-and-Juliet-like love story enshrined in Panjabi literature and commonly told in the Punjab region
• Iraj Mirza, Persian folk poet, also known as Jalaal-al-mamalek.
• Muhammad Munawwar Mirza, a prominent scholar, historian, writer and intellectual from Pakistan

Sport[link]

• Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian Basketball Player
• Mirza Teletović, Bosnian Basketball Player
• Sania Mirza, Indian Tennis Player

Entertainment[link]

• Hady Mirza, 2007 Asian Idol winner from Singapore.
• Mohib Mirza - Pakistani television actor
• Mirza Čaušević-Musician
• Waseem Mirza - British television anchor
• Diya Mirza- Bollywood Actress

See also[link]

Further Study[link]

• Life of a Mirza Chapter 7 (pg 225-227) The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture (2004) by Annemarie Schimmel ISBN 1-86189-185-7

• Mirzah in The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable By Ebenezer Cobham Brewer: The quintessential guide to myth, folklore, legend, legend and literature. ISBN 1-84022-310-3

• MI’RZA Chambers’s Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge For the People. ISBN 1-149-98693-X

• A. Jaimoukha The Circassians: A Handbook Routledge, Palgrave, 2001, pp 157–60) ISBN 0-312-23994-7

References[link]

Notes

Sources

• Brewer's Dictionary of Phrases and Fable, 16th edition Revised by Adrian Room, 1999
• WorldStatesmen
• Eymology Online

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Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam (Persian: شاهرخ مشکین قلم ‎, Šârukh Muškîn Qalam) is an Iranian modern dancer trained and based in Paris. A graduate in History of Art and Theatre from the University of Paris 8, he is choreographer, actor, and director. In addition, he is the founder and former artistic director of Nakissa Art Company.

Style[link]

He was born and spent his very early youth in Iran, but spent his early teens in Paris trained in various styles of dance. His choreography style is usually based on Persian classical music that brings Persian myths, poetry, and dance together to create an atmosphere of magical quality.^{[citation needed]}

He has danced in Seven Pavilions of Love, Sohrab and Gordafarid, and Khosrow and Shirin. In his Dance-Mythologic (a collection of Dances based on Persian mythology) piece, Shahrokh is a story teller translating the lines from thousands of years ago into movements familiar to today's audience all over the world. In Moshkin Ghalam’s view, movement is to convey a message; he does not believe in using movement for the sake of movement. His extensive training in world dances, along with his open-mindedness, allows him to take all that he feels necessary from other cultures, add to it, or sometimes re-invent it each time in a new context for a different purpose.^{[citation needed]}

"I came to realize the importance of my roots, my heritage, my being Iranian after I left Iran. It happened over the course of my six-year collaboration with Ariane Mnouchkine, who reminded us that every single one of us, who came from all over the world, had something to contribute to this magical world of theatre."^{[citation needed]} "I turned to our myths, our legends, our great epic Shahnameh and tried to learn as much as I could."^{[citation needed]}

Shahrokh draws inspiration from diverse Eastern traditions to create a unique style of dance. Persian, Kurdish, Sufi and Indian influences blend with a contemporary training in both dance and theatre.^{[citation needed]}

Performed Works[link]

In 2002 the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden invited him to perform Seven Pavilion Ballet based on the works of great Persian poet Nezami.^{[citation needed]} Dance Variations on Persian themes created in 2007 is his last work which is a collection of his best choreographies performed with Karine Gonzales[1] the major dancer of his company.^{[citation needed]} His Omar Khayyam Ballet inspired by the Quatrains of 12 century Persian poet Omar Khayyam has been performed in Paris, London, Stockholm, New York and Los Angeles, The Mythological Danses inspired by the three love stories (Khosrow and Shirin, Bahram and Dorsatti, Sohrab and Gordafarid) is also a very successful series of Persian dances which has been performed in Europe and North America several times.^{[citation needed]}

Acting career[link]

For six years, he appeared under the direction of Ariane Mnouchkine with the THEATRE DU SOLEIL and had major parts in plays such as Tartuffe, la Ville Parjure and Les Atrides.^{[citation needed]} His theatre performances include Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night” with the Terrain Vague Company, “Romeo and Juliette” directed by Lionnel Briands, “Dionysos, the Baccantes” of Euripide directed by Usevio Lazaro, “Soldier Tale” of Strawinsky in theatre Athenée directed by Antoine Campo, “Tramway named Desire” of Tenesee William directed by Phillip Adrian, and “Abduction in the Serai” directed by Jérome Deschamps.^{[citation needed]}

He has played and directed plays in Persian including:

• Zohreh va Manouchehr by Iraj Mirza
• Mardha va cheez from Makki
• Kafane Siah a play inspired by Mirzadeh Eshghi the early 20th century Iranian poet.

Since 2004 he has been an official member of La Comédie Française one of the most prestigious theatre companies in Europe and has taken part in plays including:

• Pedro et le commandeur, Felix Lope de Vega
• Molière / Lully, Molière, m.e.s Jean-Marie Villégier
• La Maison des morts, Philippe Minyana, m.e.s Robert Cantarella,
• Yerma le Bonheur, Cyrano de Bergerac and others all played in French

Personal life[link]

He and his company Nakissa perform in various countries around the world and attend international festivals or events, such as the International Dance Festival in Boulder Colorado, Festival Meridas, Festival d'Asturias Festival de Chartres, Rotterdam, Rome, La haye, and the Tirgan festival [2] in Toronto.^{[citation needed]} Shahrokh enjoys photography.^{[citation needed]} In 2009 he signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.com along with 266 other Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists about the Persecution of Bahá'ís.^[1]

References[link]