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Order of Aftab
Previous version of the Star of the Order
Awarded by Head of the Iranian Imperial Family
Type	Dynastic Order
Royal house	House of Pahlavi
Sovereign	Crown Prince Reza of Iran
Grades	Knight Grand Cordon
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Pahlavi
Next (lower)	Order of Aqdas
The Ribbon of the Order

The Order of Aftab (Persian: نشان آفتاب trans. Neshan-e Aftab), also known as the Order of the Sun, was a decoration founded by Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, the Shah of Iran, in February 1873, before his first visit to various European states. The order came in two classes, the first class restricted to female sovereigns or consorts of reigning rulers and the second class to princesses and ladies of high rank, and those deserving of special recognition or signs of conspicuous appreciation by the Shah. In 1967 during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty the statues of the order had changed, their changes included the name to the Order of Aryamehr, the insignia and the eligibility of receiving the order.

First Class insignia

The insignia of the first class consists of a breast star, sash, and sash badge. The badge is a round disk in platinum, bearing a full-face image of a female sun (aftab), fully enameled in natural colours and surrounded by a narrow raised band of platinum. The platinum band garlanded by a wide circlet completely encrusted in eighteen diamonds, edged by a further narrow raised band in platinum. Around the top half of the platinum band, a sunburst arranged in a fan-like design of seventeen separate rays, eight with tips shaped like Gothic arches and nine swallows tails, all completely encrusted in diamonds. Attached to the uppermost ray of the sunburst, a tie-ring encrusted in brilliants.

The breast star of the first class is very similar to the badge, but larger, and consists of a sunburst with thirty-two separate rays, all encrusted in diamonds and completely surrounding the central disk with its wide platinum band and circlet of diamonds.

Recipients of the first class wore the badge suspended from a grand cordon of pink moiré, edged with narrow border stripes of green, pink, and green. The sash draped over the left shoulder and across the breast, with the badge resting below the right hip.

Second Class insignia

The insignia of the second class also consists of breast star, sash and sash badge. The badge is similar to the first class but in enamel and brilliants, instead of diamonds. Unlike the first class, the breast star of the second class is a closer copy of the badge, but with pendant diamonds from the two horizontal lower arms. The sunburst is semicircular with seventeen rays, surrounding only the top half of the central disk with its wide platinum band and circlet of diamonds.

Recipients of the second class wore the badge suspended from the same grand cordon, and in the same manner, as those of the first class.

Replacement

By the fall of the Qajar dynasty and in the era of Reza Shah Pahlavi, this order was replaced by the Order of Khorshid (another Persian word for 'Sun') in 1939.

External links

• Qajorders

References

v t e Orders, decorations, and medals of Iran
Active	Military Supreme Fath Nasr Remedy General Zolfaghar Sacrifice Veteran Courage Jihad Glory Merit Knowledge Razi Art Sport State Excellence Islamic Revolution Independence Freedom Islamic Republic Expertise Knowledge Research Merit and Management Justice General Construction Service Work and Production Courage Altruism Education and Pedagogy Culture and Art Mehr Medal of Persian Literature Memorial Golden Silver
Historic	Aftab Crown Persepolis 2,500 year anniversary Lion and Sun Red Lion and Sun Pleiades Pahlavi Aqdas Azarabadegan Zolfaghar Aryamehr Shah's Coronation Military Merit Homayoun Razi Avicenna Sepah Paas Khedmat Dânesh Iftikhar Derakhsh Hamkâri Third Isfand 1953 Coup d'état Rastakhiz Party Land Reforms Kooshesh Talâsh Three Star Service Long Service Sarbolandi Jâvid Sport PTT Ministry

v t e Orders of chivalry for women
Exclusively for women:	Austria: Order of the Starry Cross Order of Love of the Neighbour Order of Elizabeth Bavaria: Order of Theresa Order of Saint Elizabeth Order of Saint Anna Burgundy: Order of the Dames of Rougemont Brunswick: Cross of Merit for ladies Bulgaria: Order of Charity Cambodia: Order of Satrei Vathana Denmark: Ordre de Parfaite Amitié Kingdom of Egypt: Order of the Virtues Ethiopia: Order of the Queen of Sheba Germany - Holy Roman Empire: Order of the Slaves of the Virtue Third Reich: Cross of Honour of the German Mother Greece: Order of Saints Olga and Sophia Order of Beneficence Japan: Order of the Precious Crown Lippe-Detmold: Ordine di Berta Korea: Order of the Auspicious Phoenix Mantua: Order of the Dames of Maria Elisa Mexico: Order of Saint Charles Persia: Order of Aftab Order of the Pleiades Philippines: Order of Gabriela Silang Portugal: Order of Saint Isabel Prussia: Order of Louise Cross of Merit for Women and Girls Ladies Merit Cross Romania: Commemorative Cross for Ladies Order for Merits Russia: Order of Saint Catherine Order of Saint Anastasia (since 2010) Order of the Red Cross for Ladies and Misses Holy See: Golden Rose (from 1759) Saxony: Order of Sidonia Ordine of Anna Maria Saxe-Merseburg: Order of the Skull Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt: Order of the Dames Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt & Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: Medal of Honour of Anna Luisa Serbia: Medal of Princess Nathalie Medal of Queen Nathalie Spain: Order of Queen Maria Luisa Sudan: Order of Excellence for Women Tonga Royal Family Order of Tonga Turkey: Order of Charity Ukraine: Order of Princess Olga United Kingdom: Royal family order Royal Family Order of George IV Royal Order of Victoria and Albert Royal Family Order of Edward VII Royal Family Order of George V Royal Family Order of George VI Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II Royal Family Order of Charles III Order of the Crown of India Royal Red Cross Württemberg: Order of Olga
Included a class for women:	Anhalt: Order of Albert the Bear Baden: House Order of Fidelity Finland: Order of the White Rose of Finland Hesse: Order of the Star of Brabant Netherlands: Order of the House of Orange Saxon Duchies: Saxe-Ernestine House Order Thailand: Order of Chula Chom Klao Westphalia: Order of the Crown of Westphalia

• Civil awards and decorations of Iran
• Orders of chivalry for women
• 1873 establishments in Iran