Turan Shahriari (Bahrami), a patriotic poet and founder of the Union of Iranian Women Lawyers, passed away.
Turan Bahrami Shahriari was born in Kerman on November 5, 1931 (13 Aban 1310) and died in Tehran on June 19, 2024 (30 Khordad 1403).
Turan Shahriari is renowned for her nationalist poems. She has been remembered for her national and patriotic songs about Iran and the ancient culture of this land. These poems reflect her deep attachment to Iran and its rich heritage. She was one of the founders of the Union of Iranian Women Lawyers and the first woman from a religious minority to become a member of the board of directors of the Iranian Bar Association.
Turan Shahriari was born into a Zoroastrian family in the city of Kerman. Her grandfather, Mirzabahram, was one of the prominent figures in the Zoroastrian community of Kerman at that time. Her mother’s name was Gohar, and her father’s name was Shahriar Mirza, a well-known merchant in Kerman. She completed her primary and secondary education in Kerman and graduated from Tehran University’s Law School in 1995 (1334).
In 1963 (1342), she received her lawyer’s license from the Iranian Bar Association, becoming the sixth Iranian woman to obtain a lawyer’s license. She continued her higher education and received a master’s degree from the National University Law School (Shahid Beheshti University). In 2003 (1382), she was elected as a member of the Human Rights Commission by the Central Bar Association. In 2004, she became a member of the board of directors of the Tehran Bar Association, becoming the first religious minority to hold this position in 53 years.
Turan Shahriari is the only woman from a religious minority included in the list of 60 notable women from all over Iran by the Office of Participation of Women’s Affairs attached to the presidential institution. She has also served multiple terms as a member of the Zoroastrian Association of Tehran and the Zoroastrian Women’s Organization.
She started composing poetry at the age of 12. She continued her literary pursuits with diligence and dedication, and her poems were published in Iranian magazines from 1953 (1332) onwards, and later in the United States, London, Germany, France, and Tajikistan. “Gem” is her first poem that was published in 1966 (1345) and was also republished in America. “Negar Zan,” another of her works, was published in 1973 (1352) by the “International Women’s Organization.” In this book, the images of 48 Iranian women from different periods of Iran’s 5,000-year history have been selected, and 48 quatrains have been composed for these images.
Her ” Poetry book named Diwan” was printed and published in 2000 (1379) and has over 500 pages, containing her qasida, masnavis, ghazals, elegy, and poems. The book “Love of Iran,” which includes her poems, was published in 2012 in collaboration with Faravahar Publishing House.
Turan’s poems are simple and fluent in Persian, encompassing moral, cultural, social, and national themes. Dr. Bastani Parizi says about her poems: “Ms. Shahriari’s poetry, while strong and perfect, is written very fluently and is suitable for the understanding of all classes. In addition to literary aspects, it also addresses current issues and social stories. The short masnavis and short stories mentioned in her divan contain educational points that reflect the influence of Iran’s past literature. Ms. Turan Shahriari is one of the most knowledgeable and capable contemporary poets who has her own style, and her poems have a melodious message that resonates with the heart.”
In 2000, one of Turan Shahriari’s poems called “Soroush Hamaseha,” about Ferdowsi, along with poems by “Mohammad-Taqi Bahar” and “Parvin Etesami,” won the “Intermundia Awards” in Italy. This award has been given in Italy since 1982, annually recognizing poets from several selected countries.
