Among the notable milestones in Iran’s social history was the election of Parimarz Firoozgar, a Zoroastrian woman who became the country’s first female mayor.
She was the daughter of the late Goshtasb Firoozgar, founder of the Firoozgar Educational, Research, and Medical Center. After graduating in law from the University of Tehran, Parimarz Firoozgar began her career teaching at a vocational school in the capital. Later, alongside her late husband, Jamshid Javanshir, she turned to agriculture about 24 kilometers from Chalus. In 1959, the couple founded the Saqi-Kalaye Company and Motel Ghoo.
Through their efforts in development and modernization, the population of Saqi-Kalaye and Kelarabad in Mazandaran Province grew to more than 6,000. This growth led to the establishment of a city council, and when the time came to elect a mayor, Parimrz Firoozgar won the most votes and assumed the role—becoming the first woman in Iran to serve as mayor. Her husband, Jamshid Javanshir, was also chosen to head the local Chamber of Commerce in Saqi-Kalaye and Kelarabad.
During their time in leadership, Mrs. Firoozgar and her husband oversaw numerous developments, including the construction of a clinic, slaughterhouse, mortuary, gendarmerie post, public bathhouse, gas station, and other public facilities. They also established three schools—one of them a boys’ high school—introduced electricity and piped water, carried out street mapping, built the town square, linked the main road to nearby villages, improved public health, and mediated local disputes, among many other initiatives.
Thanks to these achievements, in March 1965 Parimarz Firoozgar was honored as the best mayor of Mazandaran. She lived a long and accomplished life, passing away in the United States on January 7, 2022, at the age of 93. Her memory remains an enduring inspiration.
