In the tumultuous history of Tabriz and the Constitutional Revolution, there are names of women whose bravery has never been fully recognized, yet their courage remains etched in the annals of history. One such woman was a fighter named Telli, who inspired local legends and oral histories of Azerbaijan.
Telli was a young woman who marched shoulder to shoulder with men, fighting the enemies of freedom, and until she was wounded, no one suspected that she was a woman.
When Telli was injured, nurses tried to dress her wounds, but she insisted they let her die and refused to remove her clothes. Finally, they brought Sattar Khan to her side. There, Telli revealed her secret to him. Sattar Khan’s heart trembled and tears filled his eyes: “My daughter, I am still alive. Why did you go to war?” In that moment, Telli’s identity and bravery became clear.
Telli was not alone. Women in Tabriz during the eleven-month siege played diverse roles—from delivering supplies to the frontlines to filling bullet casings with gunpowder and preparing them as weapons for the rebels. The newspaper Hab al-Matin reported: “In one battle with the Shah’s forces, the bodies of 20 women dressed as men were found.”
American diplomat and contemporary observer Morgan Shuster wrote about the role of women: The women of Iran, shining examples of their competence and pure hearts, engaged in new ideas with courage and dedication, striving to realize their aspirations.
Modern scholar Janet Afary analyzes this struggle:
“During the internal conflict in Tabriz (1908–1909), urban and rural women fought alongside men. Azerbaijan and the regions west of the Caspian Sea witnessed female warriors disguised as men in the ranks of resistance.”
Beyond combat, women managed the home front tirelessly. They sewed clothes, prepared food, tended to the wounded, and even contributed their dowries to support the movement financially. In the Davechi district, women sent a letter to Sattar Khan, urging him to strike against oppressive forces. Deeply moved by their courage, Sattar Khan launched the attack earlier than planned.
Telli and her fellow fighters symbolize the women who remain unnamed in history but whose spirit of freedom filled the battlefields of Tabriz. As historians and eyewitnesses emphasize, the true number of women who fought in the trenches remains unknown. Yet, without a doubt, Telli and other women formed the backbone of the Constitutional Revolution.
