Khadijeh Saqafi
Khadijeh Saqafi (Persian: خدیجه ثقفی; 1913 – 21 March 2009) was an Iranian revolutionary and the wife of Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran and figurehead of the Iranian Revolution. In Iran, she was known as "the mother of the Islamic revolution".[1]
Khadijeh Saqafi | |
---|---|
خدیجه ثقفی | |
![]() Saqafi in 1987 | |
Spouse of the Supreme Leader of Iran | |
In role 3 December 1979 – 3 June 1989 | |
Supreme Leader | Ruhollah Khomeini |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh |
Personal details | |
Born | 1913 Tehran, Sublime State of Persia |
Died | 21 March 2009 95–96) Tehran, Iran | (aged
Resting place | Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini |
Nationality | Iranian |
Spouse | |
Children | Mostafa Zahra Sadiqeh Farideh Ahmad |
Known for | Spouse of the Supreme Leader of Iran (1979–1989) |
Early life
Saqafi was born in 1913 in Tehran, the daughter of Hajj Mirza Mohammad Thaqafi-e Tehrani, a respected cleric and merchant.[2]
Marriage and later years
Saqafi married Ruhollah Khomeini in 1929, when she was 16 and he was 29.[3] They had seven children together, although only five survived childhood. The family resided in Qom until Khomeini's exile in 1964.[4] Their son Mostafa died in Iraq in 1977 while in exile, while their second son Ahmad died of cardiac arrest in 1995.[3]
Throughout their marriage, Saqafi largely stayed out of the public eye, although she was described as being a strong supporter of her husband's opposition to Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.[3] Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former President of Iran, referred to Saqafi as the "closest and most patient" supporter of her husband.[3]
Death
Saqafi died in Tehran on 21 March 2009 at the age of 95, following a long illness.[3] Thousands attended her funeral at the University of Tehran, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[3] Saqafi was buried next to her husband and son at his mausoleum in Behesht-e Zahra.[5] She was survived by her three daughters Zahra, Sadiqeh and Farideh.[3]
References
- "Iranians mourn Khomeini's widow". 22 March 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- Dabashi, H. (1993). Theology of discont (PDF). New York: New York University Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2017.
- "Khadijeh Saqafi, Khomeini's Wife, Is Dead at 93". New York Times. Associated Press. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
- "Three decades after Khomeini's death, his clan rules from the sidelines". Atlantic Council. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- "Iranians mourn Khomeini's widow". BBC News. 22 March 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
External links
Media related to Khadijeh Saqafi at Wikimedia Commons