Farah Diba was born into a prosperous family whose fortunes were diminished after her father's early death.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,882 |
27 Facts About Farah Diba
2.
Farah Diba worked for many charities, and founded Iran's first American-style university, enabling more women to become students in the country.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,883 |
3.
Farah Diba facilitated the buying-back of Iranian antiquities from museums abroad.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,884 |
4.
In widowhood, Farah Diba has continued her charity work, dividing her time between Washington, DC in the United States and Paris, France.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,885 |
5.
Farah Diba was born on 14 October 1938 in Tehran to an upper-class family.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,886 |
6.
Farah Diba was the only child of Captain Sohrab Diba and his wife, Farideh Ghotbi.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,887 |
7.
Farah Diba's own father was an officer in the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces and a graduate of the French Military Academy at St Cyr.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,888 |
8.
Farah Diba wrote in her memoir that she had a close bond with her father, and his unexpected death in 1948 deeply affected her.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,889 |
9.
Young Farah Diba began her education at Tehran's Italian School, then moved to the French Jeanne d'Arc School until the age of sixteen and later to the Lycee Razi.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,890 |
10.
Farah Diba was an athlete in her youth, becoming captain of her school's basketball team.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,891 |
12.
Farah Diba's gown was designed by Yves Saint Laurent, then a designer at the house of Dior, and she wore the newly commissioned Noor-ol-Ain Diamond tiara.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,893 |
13.
Mohammad Reza was always attracted to tall women and Farah Diba was taller than her husband, which led him to wear elevator shoes to disguise this fact.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,894 |
14.
In 1961 during a visit to France, the Francophile Farah Diba befriended the French culture minister Andre Malraux, leading her to arrange the exchange of cultural artifacts between French and Iranian art galleries and museums, a lively trade that continued until the Islamic revolution of 1979.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,895 |
15.
Farah Diba spent much of her time attending the openings of various education and health-care institutions without venturing too deeply into controversial issues.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,896 |
16.
Farah Diba 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.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,897 |
17.
Farah Diba's concerns were the "realms of education, health, culture and social matters" with politics being excluded from her purview.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,898 |
18.
Farah Diba became one of the most highly visible figures in the Imperial Government and the patron of 24 educational, health and cultural organizations.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,899 |
19.
Farah Diba's significance was exemplified by her part in the 1967 Coronation Ceremonies, where she was crowned as the first shahbanu of modern Iran.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,900 |
20.
Farah Diba's ministry encouraged many forms of artistic expression, including traditional Iranian arts as well as Western theatre.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,901 |
21.
Farah Diba's most recognized endeavour supporting the performing arts was her patronage of the Shiraz Arts Festival.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,902 |
22.
Farah Diba was the regent in pretence from 27 July to 31 October 1980.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,903 |
23.
Farah Diba first settled in Williamstown, Massachusetts, but later bought a home in Greenwich, Connecticut.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,904 |
24.
Farah Diba attended the 11 June 2004 funeral of President Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, in Washington, DC.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,905 |
25.
Farah Diba Pahlavi continues to appear at certain international royal events, such as the 2004 wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, the 2010 wedding of Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, the 2011 wedding of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and the 2016 wedding of Crown Prince Leka II of Albania.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,906 |
26.
Farah Diba Pahlavi has one granddaughter through her late son Ali Reza Pahlavi and his companion Raha Didevar.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,907 |
27.
In 2003, Farah Diba Pahlavi wrote a book about her marriage to Mohammad Reza entitled An Enduring Love: My Life with the Shah.
| FactSnippet No. 2,072,908 |