Mehdi Jangravi

Some five hours after the birth of his brother, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Ashraf Pahlavi was born in Sanglaj neighborhood in Tehran October, 26^th 1911.  At the time of her birth, her father was an unknown colonel in Cossack brigade. Her mother, Taj-ol-moluk Airemlu was of an Azerbaijani family who immigrated to Iran after the Bolshevik revolution of Russia.

In her seventeen, she married Ibrahim Khan Shirazi's son, Ali Mohammad Qavam. Their marriage took place for political reasons and was void of any emotional grounds. She remembers her marriage bitterly and says: "I wore white wedding dress in a marriage ceremony which was held for Shams and me, while it was better for me to wear a black dress." However the marriage did not last for more than six years and they divorced formally in 1322, Shahram being the only child of this marriage who took Pahlavi nia as his family name.

Subsequently Ashraf Pahlavi made a visit  to Egypt and got acquainted with an Egyptian merchant, Ahmad Shafiq, son of Shafiq Pasha, head of Khadiv Abbas Helmi's bureau, who was exiled to Europe when Malek Fowad came to throne. They married in 1322. This marriage did not escape the same fate. They separated in 1329, some nine years before formal divorce. Ahmad Shafiq died in 1355 because of cancer. Their children Shahriar and Azadeh chose Shafiq as their family name.

Her third husband was Mehdi Bushehri, whose father was of influential families of Bushire. He was a roving ambassador, and chairman of board of art Festivals. In late Pahlavis, he founded the organization for expanding cinema and produced some joint feature films, presenting some famous actors of the world.

No woman played so much roles as Ashraf did in domestic and foreign affairs. She played a leading role in 19^th August 1953 coup, and entered negotiations with hostile countries. She was a main figure in establishing political relationship with the People's Republic of China. From 1950, she was one of leading members of Iranian legation in the United Nations.

One of her plans was to found a political base for his brother through manipulating the press. To do so, she founded Ettelaat newspaper.

She was at the top of the pyramid for political decision makings. Moreover, she meddled in the private life of his brother so far as to cause division between Shah and his wife. Mohammad Reza Shah could not resist her authority.

Some people referred to her as "Reza Shah's black duck" A French journalist called her "black panther" which appealed to her. Alberto Belicci has referred to her as matrix of corruption with extreme sadism which made her angry.