“I know that Iranians and Israelis see how important it would be for our future to be strategic partners, to work together, to address many issues. I come here to convey this message to Israeli citizens,”

– Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Moving through the streets of Cairo, one notices a profoundly rich history, bearing influences of centuries of migrations and assimilations of diverse ethnicities in this cosmopolitan metropolis. From Abbasids (Sunnis) to Fatimids (Shias), from Bahri Mamluks (Central Asians) to Burji Mamluks (Caucasians),

from Ayyubids (Kurds) to Ottomans (Turks), from the French to the British, many nations dominated Cairo for centuries and left their imprints on its architecture, food and more. On the Salah-al-Din Ayubbi square named after the Kurdish warrior turned king, which the lead author of this article visited recently in Cairo; are located several monuments including the Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hasan and Al-Rifa’i mosque.

Burials in Al-Rifa’i Mosque

A part of the latter mosque is reserved for the members of the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha, which was in power from the early nineteenth century until 1953 when the modern Egyptian republic was born. Apart from the last two rulers of the Muhammad Ali dynasty of Egypt (Kings Fuad I and Farouk) the last Shahanshah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi is buried here too, and in the past, his father and founder of the Pahlavi dynasty of Iran Reza Shah was also buried here.

The Pahlavis have become increasingly important, in global geostrategic conversations, when the Iran-Israel conflict aggravated recently because of the Gaza war. Who were these Shahanshahs of Iran who were considered modernists and friends of the West and why is it, that they are associated so much with Iranian nationalism? We will try to explain about the Pahlavis of Iran and their geostrategic importance, in this article.

Pahlavis and Iranian Nationalism

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