From Marriage to Divorce: The Recto and Verso of a Document
Document Type : pajoohesh
Author
Assistant Professor, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran
10.22081/jap.2025.78361
Abstract
Through the study and examination of marriage contracts (‛aqdnāmeh), valuable insights can be gained into social history, family relations, women’s studies, linguistic and philological matters, geographical names, and genealogy. These documents rank among the rare written records in a male-dominated world where women nonetheless appear with individuality and identity, and where their rights and property are formally recorded. The marriage contract (‛aqdnāmeh) of Māh-Āfarīn Khānum and ‛Alī-Akbar Khān, dating from the Qājār period under Nāṣer al-Dīn Shāh, stands out for a distinctive feature visible on the verso of the document: it reveals that the bride, endowed with a very substantial dowry, requested a khul‛ divorce. In this study, following the critical edition of both the marriage contract and the accompanying divorce deed, an effort has been made to examine the two documents in terms of form, substance, and structural parallels. The article also addresses selected social, legal, historical, and geographical issues raised by these records.
Keywords
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