Soraya Tarzi: Afghanistan's Visionary Queen

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

Rebel Girls

Kids & Family, Stories For Kids, Education For Kids

4.5 • 7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Soraya Tarzi became Afghanistan's first modern queen in 1919. At a time when women were expected to stay hidden, she challenged norms, opened a school for girls, and fought for women's rights alongside her husband, King Amanullah. This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was narrated by Gabrielle Puyat. It was produced by Danielle Roth and directed by Ashton Carter, with sound design and mixing by Carter Wogahn. The story was written and fact checked by Danielle Roth and edited by Haley Dapkus. Our executive producers were Joy Smith, Anjelika Temple, and Jes Wolfe. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! Until next time, stay rebel!

Transcript

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0:00.0	The year was 1926. A crowd of hundreds of people was gathered in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to watch their royal leaders celebrate the country's independence.
0:23.6	The Afghan people had freed themselves from British control just seven years earlier.
0:32.6	All eyes were on Queen Soraya Tarzi as she started to speak.
0:38.3	Independence belongs to all of us, she said, her voice clear and strong.
0:44.3	Do you think that our nation from the outset needs only men to serve it?
0:49.3	Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of our nation and Islam.
0:55.0	As she spoke, some in the audience gasped.
0:59.0	Others leaned forward, absolutely captivated.
1:03.0	What Queen Soraya was saying, it was revolutionary.
1:08.0	Before Queen Soraya, Afghan queens would never have addressed the public like this, let alone encouraged women to get more involved.
1:16.6	This was unheard of. But Queen Soraya was used to breaking barriers. She was about to set in motion changes that would echo for generations and challenge what people thought
1:29.0	women could do.
1:31.2	She was ready to lead her country into the future.
1:35.0	I'm Gabrielle Puyat, and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls,
1:52.4	a fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us.
1:58.5	On this episode, Soraya Tarzi, the queen who fought to revolutionize Afghanistan.
2:05.6	Sarah was born in Syria in November of 1890.
2:19.3	She grew up far from Afghanistan, playing in the ancient cobbled streets of Damascus.
2:25.3	Her father was an intellectual who had been forced to leave Afghanistan because of his ideas.
2:30.3	His progressive values about freedom didn't sit well with the country's ruler.
2:36.0	Soraya learned a lot from her father.
2:39.0	He was her first teacher and tutor.
	...

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