The Martyrdom of Táhirih (The Pure One)

Garden of Ilkhani in Tehran

Táhirih was arrested in 1852 and sentenced to death by the Shah of Iran for teaching a new religion which included the principle of the equality of men and women.

"You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women", Táhirih responded.

Dressed in white silk, she had prepared for her death with fasting and prayers. She was strangled with a silk handkerchief and then thrown into a well, later filled with stones and dirt.