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 |
| Succeeded by | Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1915 or 1916 Tehran,Sublime State of Persia |
| Died | (aged 93)[1][2] Tehran, Iran |
| Resting place | Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7, includingMostafa,Zahra,Farideh, andAhmad |
Khadijeh Saqafi (Persian:خدیجه ثقفی; 1915/1916 – 21 March 2009) was an Iranian revolutionary and the wife ofRuhollah Khomeini, theSupreme Leader of Iran and figurehead of theIranian Revolution. In Iran, she was known as "the mother of the Islamic revolution".[1]
Saqafi was born in 1915 or 1916 inTehran, the daughter of Hajj Mirza Mohammad Thaqafi-e Tehrani, a respected cleric and merchant.[3]
Saqafi became the child bride of 29-year-old Ruhollah Khomeini in 1929[3][4] or 1931.[2] They had seven children together, although only five survived childhood.[4] The family resided inQom until Khomeini's exile in 1964.[5] Their sonMostafa died inIraq in 1977 while in exile, while their second sonAhmad died of cardiac arrest in 1995.[2]
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.[2]Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, formerPresident of Iran, referred to Saqafi as the "closest and most patient" supporter of her husband.[2]
Saqafi died in Tehran on 21 March 2009 aged 93, following a long illness.[1][2] Thousands attended her funeral at theUniversity of Tehran, including Supreme LeaderAli Khamenei and then-PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad.[2] Saqafi was buried next to her husband and son athis mausoleum inBehesht-e Zahra.[1][2]
Media related toKhadijeh Saqafi at Wikimedia Commons| Honorary titles | ||
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| First New title | Spouse of the Supreme Leader of Iran 1979–1989 | Succeeded byas wife ofAli Khamenei |
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