When the women walked through the streets with their Niqab and didn’t have any independence; Zeynab Pasha, a brave woman of Tabriz city, fasten his chador to her waist and stand against every oppression. She was born in the Amu Zein-eddin district of Tabriz. She has been grown up in poverty and hardness. Zeynab Pasha was a brave and sturdy woman with many titles such as “Zeynab Baji”, “Bibi Shah Zeynab” and “El Qizi”. But she has never been alone in this way, and women of Azerbaijan have always accompanied her in the struggles. It is said that most of these women were from the Amu Zein-eddin district.
In 1928, following the tobacco concession granted by Nasir al-Din Shah to Great Britain, the Iranian merchants protested. After Nasir al-Din Shah opposed the cancellation of the contract; the use of tobacco was banned. In Tabriz, one of the most important events was the closure of shops in Tabriz Bazaar, which happened after the invitation of Mirza Javad, the great mujtahid of Tabriz. Then the shah ordered the officers to force the protestors; they forced the marketers to open the shops. Zeynab Pasha, after hearing the news, along with a group of women went to the bazaar and after fighting with the officers, forced the marketers to close the shops. The government insisted on opening the shops but Zeynab Pasha, with her group, fought against the officers every day and closed the shops.
The presence of women in the protests, at that time, obliged men to support women. According to Karim Taherzadeh Behzad, “Every man had to protect women’s rights, who have enjoyed great respect in the community, even if they sacrificed their lives. So when women appeared at the Bazaar, the men had to remove the barriers.”
Another important action of Zeynab Pasha was during the Hoarding of wheat and cereals by wealthy merchants of Qajar period. At this time, Zeynab Pasha identified the hoarders, attacked their warehouses and distributed the cereal among the people.
Taherzadeh considers the latest action of Zeynab Pasha as the attack on the homes of Nezam Al Olama, Ala Al-Molk and Segat Al-Doleh and confiscated their property in 1898. In some other historical sources, it has been stated that Zeynab Pasha traveled to Karbala with a number of her supporters at the end of her life. In this trip, when crossing the border, their caravans had been harassed by Ottoman soldiers. Although she was old at that time, she destroyed the border headquarters and entered Iraqi territory. Unfortunately, there is no reliable information about her after that trip and nobody knows that if she returned to Iran or stayed in Iraq.
Zeynab Pasha has always been neglected in historical documents due to the dominant culture of Iran and patriarchy. But the courage of this brave woman has always been known by the people of Azerbaijan. If anyone needs an example of courage, they will talk about Zeynab Pasha. Poems are also written about the courage of Zeynab. Currently, the statue of Zeynab Pasha is located in the Constitution House of Tabriz.
