Amina Bakhtiari

A pioneering Iranian educator who established schools for girls in the late 19th century, advocating for women's rights.

Amina Bakhtiari (1843–1913), a Qajar-era reformer, defied societal norms by founding Iran’s first girls’ school in Tabriz (1873). Her initiative challenged gender roles under conservative Islamic norms and inspired later movements like the 1906 Constitutional Revolution. As a member of the Bakhtiari tribe, she leveraged her influence to educate girls in literacy and science, often facing backlash from religious authorities. Her methods, documented in "Women’s Education in Qajar Iran: Amina Bakhtiari’s Legacy", emphasized practical skills for economic independence.

Bakhtiari’s schools became models for state-run institutions after her death, though her name faded from public memory until feminist historians like Farzaneh Milani revived her legacy. Today, her contributions are recognized in Tehran’s National Museum of Women’s History, underscoring her role in shaping modern Iranian feminism.