Women’s Havens in the Patriarchal Landscape: The Feminine Social Life in the 19th Century Tehran

The studies of the social life in the 19th century Tehran illustrate a highly patriarchal society. Almost all the social spaces and activities of the city were dominated by men; Muharram ceremonies in takīyihs, traditional gymnasiums or zūrkhanihs, coffeehouses, and the like were just some examples of the dominance of the masculine discourse over the social spaces and life in Iranian urban society. In this scene, women are usually pictured as bystanders of social activities. A deeper examination of the 19th century urban society, however, reveals an alternative story; it shows a vibrant, feminine social life alongside the masculine public spaces. Not visible to the outsiders’ gaze, women had generated certain spaces for their unique social life. Naming them as Women’s Havens, this essay introduces and examines these spaces, and narrates the alternative story of the women’s social life in the 19th century. The window to these havens is mostly the texts produced by women; the European women’s travelogues and Iranian women memoirs can provide us with an insight into the complex social relationships of women’s havens in Iran.