Medals
Oldest Order of Persia. Order of the Lion & Sun. The history
of Persian orders and medals dates back to the era of Fathali
Shah Qajar (r. 1212-50/1797-1834). At the time of his reign,
due to growth of the contact between his court and the European
royal courts, the first orders were made in the court for the
Shah and his high ranked courtiers by the his decree. No one
knows about the first order ever made in Iran but the Order of
the lion & sun is of the earliest types.This order contained
a resting lion and a feminine face sun. Parallel to this order
the Order of Sun was made for the foreigners who visited the
Imperial court of Iran. One of the most famous receivers of this
order is the emperor of the France, Napoleon I, in 1808. The
emblem of the Lion and the Sun was first adopted officially by
the Qajar (Kadar) under Mohammad Shah (r.1834-48). The emblem
changed over time from a lion (often depicted lying on the ground)
and a sun with a human face, to a lion standing and holding a
sword in its right paw and a sun across its back.
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