Bibi Khanoom Astarabadi

Who was Bibi Khanoom Astarabadi?

Bibi Khānoom Astarābādi ‎ was a notable Iranian writer, satirist, and one of the pioneering figures in the women's movement of Iran.

Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi was born to the family of Mohammad Baqer Khan Astarabadi, one of the notable men of Astarabad, and Khadijeh Khanom, known as Mollah Bāji, one of the companions of Shokuh ol-Saltaneh, wife to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar. The title Mollah Bāji is indicative that she must have been educated and in charge of more than the daily household chores of Shah's Court. Indeed, she has been in charge of the education of the children in the court of Nasser al-Din Shah.

At the age of 22, Bibi Khatoon married Musa Khan Vaziri who was a prominent official in the Persian Cossack Brigade. They had seven children, of whom the most distinguished are Colonel Ali-Naqi Vaziri, and Hasan Vaziri. Dr Mah-Laghā Mallah, founder and director of Iran's "Women's Society against Environmental Pollution" is the maternal granddaughter of Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi.