The 11-year-old princess and the tragic tale of 13 deaths: What’s the truth about her beauty?

Social media often shares old stories and pictures that capture people’s attention. One such viral story is about two Persian princesses from the Qajar dynasty. It claims that Princess Fatemeh Khanum “Esmat al-Dowleh” was so beautiful that 13 men took their own lives because she did not return their love. However, this captivating tale is riddled with contradictions and unanswered questions.

The Qajar dynasty, which ruled Persia from 1789 to 1925, is at the center of a viral story about two princesses. The princesses are named Fatemeh Khanum “Esmat al-Dowleh,” born in 1855, and Zahra Khanum “Taj al-Saltaneh,” born in 1884. According to information on the ATI website, they were half-sisters, but the photos circulating online don’t seem to show the nearly 30-year age gap between them, leading to doubts about the authenticity of the images.

The most interesting part of the story is the appearance of the princess who was said to be extremely beautiful. The viral photos show her with facial hair, including a mustache, which would be considered unusual by today’s beauty standards. However, in 19th-century Persia, facial hair on women was considered attractive, and many women used kohl to darken their hair to enhance this feature.

There are also reports that both princesses were married at a very young age—Fatemeh at 11 and Zahra at 13. At that time, women were usually seen only by their families and close relatives, so it’s unclear how 13 men could have fallen so deeply in love with Fatemeh to the point of taking their own lives.

The story mixes historical facts with legends, and while the true details remain unclear, it offers a fascinating look into the past, where beauty standards and societal norms were very different from today.