F O R W O R D
Welcome Motamedi, Ghorbani, Khalifeh-Soltani, Moarefi-Memar, Ghassemzadeh, Kabiri, Afifi, Hadizamani, Farhoudi, Gishnizjani, Janghorban, Shams, Monshi, Torfehnezhad, Moeinzadeh, Motahary, Tabatabaian and all our other families  -- brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, children, cousins, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts and uncles – to this, your very own family tree.

NOTE:  This document is named Motamedi Family Tree for
ease of reference.

Today our family members live all over the world in many different countries. Spouses of many are from those countries and children of many may only speak their respective country’s language. Hence, to facilitate communication, this effort is presented in English, the language understood by most of the world’s population. I hope this document will help our children and their extended families to realize and appreciate their foundation – their roots.

It has been an immense pleasure for me to tackle this challenging task. My expedition has been rocky -- filled with long hours of compiling, writing, copying and cropping – but a delightful voyage nonetheless.

However, my undertaking was possible only because of the availability of my Amoo Javad’s (Dr. Mohamad-Javad Motamedi’s) massive documented endowment, and the enormous cooperation of family members worldwide who shared many memories, images and stories.

       NOTE:  Many family pictures are included in this document – some
       branches more than others because some shared more info and photos
       than others. However, I hope navigating this website encourages all
       our family to get involved by signing the Guest Book (go to Home) and
       sharing their email addresses so that communication may be established
       with them and their memories, images as well as their branch updates
       included in our family tree.

Amoo Javad initiated his endeavor during the 20th Century, beginning his investigation as a young medical student and persevering throughout his adult life. His journey took him across many parts of the city of Esfahan and surrounding communities in central Iran, where our family hailed from.

There, he visited living senior relatives and their descendants, family and public cemeteries, as well as the area called Jarghooyeh and its village, Mohamadabad -- the place called home by our forefathers for over two centuries. He also searched and found birth, marriage and death certificates from which he noted family data. The family members he interviewed were extremely encouraged by the enthusiasm and exuberance with which he conducted his fact-finding mission and willingly shared their memories.

Amoo Javad was able to follow the generations of one ancestor and his two brothers, all Zarathushtrians (Zoroastrians, Zartoshtis), who left the City of Yazd, their family’s hometown in central Iran, and arrived in Jarghooyeh in favor of a better life. But they encountered resistance and realized they had to convert to Islam and adopt a Moslem name before they would be welcomed. They conceded and became respectable, active community members.

To conduct his fact-finding mission systematically, Amoo Javad categorized the future generations of that ancestor and their extended families into four groups:

Group One: Those born in or before 1840s.
He visited this group’s graves and noted birth
and death data.

Group Two: Those born between 1850s and
1890s. Few were still living at the time; he
visited them and documented their recollec-
tions. He also visited graves and noted birth
and death dates of those who were no longer living.

Group Three: Those born in the 1920s and the 1930s.
This group belonged to his own generation –
mostly living and active. The majority of his data
came from his extensive meetings with this group.

Group Four: Those born during the 1940s and
beyond. His efforts primarily were geared to this
group. His goal was to leave them a legacy that
they would maintain and cherish.

He then began to compile his findings into a chronology by writing a very emotional introduction -- adorned with beautiful verse and prose -- that painted a brilliant picture of his nostalgic sentiments and revealed his deep-rooted love for his family. But the sudden deterioration of his health took its toll and forced him to abandon his work. However, luckily, the resolute man had already spread a fertile seed of curiosity among his family members.

It was that fertile seed that some years later sparked the curiosity of my cousin (pesar amoo) Dr. Dariush Motamedi – son of Mohamad-Hossain and Hamdam-Khanom Motamedi, grandson of Ostad Mehdi and Fatemeh-Khanom Motamedi, also grandson of Ostad Reza and Khorshid-Khanom Motamedi.
Dariush initiated an undertaking of his own at the turn of the 21st century. Drawing from his childhood memories and his parents’ verbal communication, he recorded an account filled with pictures along with personal and family episodes, both serious and of a lighter-side nature. He then shared his documentation with other family members, insisting they ensure its continuity.

It was Dariush’s insistence, my Baba Ali’s (Mohamad-Ali Motamedi’s) years of encouragement and, especially, a strong inspiration triggered by my Amoo Javad’s zeal -- his deep-seated desire to find his roots -- that motivated me to create this website and spread that fertile seed globally. 

I began my effort by studying Amoo Javad’s extensive notes and translating its data into English.

An enormous Thank You goes to my cousins (dokhtar va pesar amoo ha) Shaahin, Dr. Hooman, and Bita Motamedi, children of my Amoo Javadgrandchildren of Ostad Mehdi -- along with their mother Showkat-Khanom -- for transmitting across the oceans their father's collection consisting of more than 50 pages of family history. It was an involved team effort worthy of much gratitude and praise.

A humongous gratitude is due Hossain Motamedi, son of Ostad Ali (my father's cousin-pesar ameh) and Fatemeh-Khanom (my father's other cousin-dokhtar amoo), grandson of Fatemeh-Khatoon and great grandson of Ostad Mohamad. He also is married to my beloved cousin --dokhtar amoo-- Afsar Motamedi, daughter of Mohamad-Hossain Motamedi. Hossain has dedicated about 30 years of his life to interviewing elders, gathering extensive background information and creating a very comprehensive chronology of his own family branch. And he has graciously shared his findings with all of our family members worldwide, allowing us to include them in this document. He has also provided many precious family pictures, mostly taken during the first half of the 20th Century.
Khordad 1388, June 2009

Mojtaba Motamedi was the only living family member who was able to provide additional information about our ancestors. He also shed light on the remarkable network of relationships that thickly overlap within our family’s branches -- caused by an extraordinary number of inter-family marriages – all taken place under the Islamic banner during the past two centuries.

However, before the past two centuries -- as we now know – although our ancestors lived under the Islamic banner, they had maintained their Zarathushtrian (Zoroastrian, Zartoshti) religion. Hence, related data in the Zartoshti Faith section of this family tree briefly explain their spirituality and their (our) culture, as a way to preserve our family's Persian identity.

Compiling data for this web site has given me the pleasure of getting to know and becoming friends with many family members, most of whom I might otherwise have recognized merely as statistical names on a list of descendants. The knowledge I have gained and the friendships I have made are my precious family gifts which I will cherish with every cell in my body.

Tackling this task also has had its nourishing rewards for my soul. It has fulfilled my emotional need and burning desire to know my family’s rich legacy and history – our foundation that, according to my Baba Ali, is woven into our body and soul by a network of invisible warps and wefts.
Mojtaba Motamedi, son of Ostad Sadegh, grandson of Ostad Mohamad, great grandson of Ostad Mirza.
My next step included: researching and studying the historical, political and geographical events that affected and altered the lives of our ancestors;  drawing upon my own recollections of past events; seeking other family members’ input; and gathering more vintage and recent photographs.

A gigantic Thank You goes to my cousin (dokhtar ameh) Mina, daughter of Manzarbanoo Motamedi and Nassrollah Afifigranddaughter of Ostad Mehdi, who spent long hours scanning, cropping and sharing many nostalgic pictures of her own family as well as other family members who adorn our tree.

A huge Thank You also goes to those mentioned below, who took time to transmit images as well as provide detailed updates about their respective branch of our family:

Marjaneh Motamedi, daughter of my cousin (dokhtar amoo) Afsar
Motamedi and my father’s second cousin (naveh amoo and naveh
ameh) Hossain Motamedi, granddaughter of Mohamad-Hossain and 
Hamdam-Khanom Motamedi, granddaughter of Ostad Ali and Fatemeh-
Khanom Motamedi, great granddaughter of Ostad Mehdi and Ostad Reza.

Vida and Lida Motamedi, my twin cousins (dokhtar amoo ha), daughters
of Jafar and Zahra Motamedi, granddaughters of Ostad Mehdi.

Fariborz, Vida and Yalda Farhoudi, my cousins (pesar va dokhtar ameh
ha), children of Dr. Farangis Motamedi and Dr. Abollhassan Farhoudi,
grandchildren of Ostad Mehdi.

Marzieh Motamedi, daughter of my father’s cousin (pesar amoo) 
Mostafa and Efat-Khanom Motamedi, granddaughter of my father’s
uncle (amoo) Ostad Sadegh.

Bizhan “George Berger”, Farah and Fereshteh Motamedi, my cousins
(pesar amoo va dokhtar amoo ha), children of Mohamad-Hassan and
Ozra-Khanom Motamedi, grandchildren of Ostad Mehdi and Ostad
Abdol-Karim, great grandchildren of Ostad Ahmad.

Mohtaram-Khanom Motamedi, my father’s cousin (dokhtar khaleh),
daughter of Sekineh-Khatoon and Ostad Mohamad-Ali Motamedi,
granddaughter of my father’s grandmother (Nanjoon) Shahrbanoo.

Zinat-Khanom Motamedi, my father’s cousin (dokhtar daii), daughter of
Ostad Haidar-Ali and Sekineh-Baigom Motamedi, granddaughter of
my father’s grandmother (Nanjoon) Shahrbanoo; also Zinat-Khanom’s
daughrer Elaheh Tabatabaian and grandson Amir Ghassemi.

Mehdi Shams, son of Parvin-Khanom, my father’s cousin (dokhtar
khaleh), grandson of Sekineh-Khatoon and Ostad Mohamad-Ali
Motamedi, great grandson of my father’s grandmother (Nanjoon)
Shahrbanoo.

Javad Janghorban, son of Rabab-Khanom, my father’s cousin (dokhtar
khaleh), grandson of Sekineh-Khatoon and Ostad Mohamad-Ali
Motamedi, great grandson of my father’s grandmother (Nanjoon)
Shahrbanoo.

Dr. Babak Janghorban, son of Mohsen, grandson of Rabab-Khanom,
my father’s cousin (dokhtar khaleh), great grandson of Sekineh-
Khatoon and Ostad Mohamad-Ali Motamedi.

Pegah Janghorban, daughter of Hossain and granddaughter of Rabab-
Khanom, my father’s cousin (dokhtar khaleh), great granddaughter of
Sekineh-Khatoon and Ostad Mohamad-Ali Motamedi.

Ali-Mohamad Motamedi, son of Saeid, grandson of Dr. Mehdi, my
father's cousin (pesar khaleh), great grandson of Sekineh-Khatoon
and Ostad Mohamad-Ali Motamedi.

Pooran Motamedi, my father’s second cousin (naveh khaleh madar),
daughter of Fatemeh-Khanom “dokhtar daize” and Ostad Abbas-Ali
Motamedi, granddaughter of Zahra-Khanom.

Shoeleh Moarefi-Memar, daughter of my father’s second cousins (naveh
khalehaye mader) Azar Motamedi and Bahman Moarefi-Memar,
granddaughter of Fatemeh-Khanom “dokhtar daize” and Ostad Abbas-
Ali Motamedi, granddaughter of Abbas Moarefi-Memar, great grand-
daughter of Zahra-Khanom.

Manssour Moeinzadeh, son of Essmat-Khanom, my father's second
cousin (naveh khaleh madar), grandson of Hossain Moarefi-Memar,
great grandson of Zahra-Khanom; as well as his spouse Mariam
Naghshineh Moeinzadeh.

Giety Moarefi-Memar, daughter of Agha-Taha, my father's second cousin
(naveh khaleh madar), granddaughter of Hossain Moarefi-Memar, great
 granddaughter of Zahra-Khanom.

Kian Motamedi Kia, son of Farangis "Pari" and Mashallah Motamedi
Kia, grandson of Ostad Mostafa, great grandson of my father's cousin
(pesar ameh) Ostad Ali and my father's cousin (dokhtar amoo) Fatemeh-
Khanom.

Paria Mansoori, daughter of Hamid-Reza, granddaughter of Pooran
Motamedi and great granddaughter of Ostad Mostafa.

Arash and Arman Motamedi, great grandsons of my father's cousin
(pesar ameh) Ostad  Ali, sons of Bahman and Sedigheh Motamedi.

Payam Hadizamani, son of Ghamar-Khanom, grandson of Fatemeh-
Khanom, great great grandson of Ostad Ali-Naghi, my father's great uncle
(amooye pedar). 

Hengameh and Human Motamedi, children of my cousin (pesar amoo)
Sina and grandchildren of Mohamad-Hassan and Ozra-Khanom
Motamedi, great grandchildren of Ostad Mehdi.

Arash and Azadeh Motamedi, my cousins (doktar amoo va pesar amoo),
children of Mohamad Motamedi, grandchildren of Ostad Mehdi.

Saeed Ghassemzadeh, son of Abbas, grandson of Seyed Ali-Gholam
Ghassemzadeh, grand-cousin (naveh khaleh) of Shahrbanoo Motamedi,
my father's grandmother.

Abbas Motamedi, my father’s brother, son of Ostad Mehdi, grandson
of Ostad Mohamad, great grandson of Ostad Mirza.

Mansour Motamedi, son of my father’s cousin (pesar amoo) Hossain-
Ali, grandson of my father's uncle (amoo) Ostad Reza.

Mehdi Ghorbani, son of Dr. Azizolah, grandson of my father's cousin
(dokhtar amoo) Monavar-Khanom, great grandson of my father's uncle
(amoo) Ostad Reza.

Maryam Motamedi, daughter of Masoud and Zahra Motamedi,
granddaughter of my father’s cousin (pesar amoo) Hossain-Ali, great
granddaughter of Ostad Reza.

Neda Motamedi, daughter of Gholam-Reza, granddaughter of my
father’s cousin (pesar amoo) Hossain-Ali, great granddaughter
of Ostad Reza.

Hamdam, Mohtaram, Manizheh, Khosrow and Parviz Motamedi, children
of Mohamad Motamedi, nephew of my grandmother's parents -- Hossain
Mohamad-Malek Toopchi-Motamedi and Shahrbanoo Motamedi -- and 
father of my cousin (pesar ameh) Dr. Siruss Motamedi.

And, my own siblings, children of Baba Ali (Mohamad-Ali) and Mama Pari Motamedi, grandchildren of Ostad Mehdi:

My brother Kourosh Motamedi warrants immense recognition for taking
several trips to Jarghooyeh and its village, Mohamadabad, in recent
years, gathering data and images. Kourosh's interview notes and the
pictures he took are valuable additions to this family tree.

My brother John “Jahanbakhsh” Motamedi deserves tremendous
appreciation for examining the contents of this document and suggesting
improvements. John also has contributed a detailed article to this
chronology explaining "Baadgir" (windcatcher), a specialty skill of our
ancestors, and Ghanat, an ancient Persian underground water supply
system. His article is included in the "Family History" section.

My brother Kambiz Motamedi merits an enormous applause for offering
his technical skills to make this document available on the Internet,
allowing all our family members to read about their history and view
images of their relatives. Kambiz continues to extend his valuable
technical support to our website's improvement and maintenance.

Kourosh, John, Kambiz and my other siblings – my sister Parvaneh and
my other brothers Bahman and Anoosh -- along with their families, all
deserve colossal gratefulness for sharing their treasured pictures and
their recollections of this formidable family.

Finally, an enormous credit is due my father’s cousin (pesar amoo) Mojtaba Motamedi, son of Ostad Sadegh, grandson of Ostad Mohamad, great grandson of Ostad Mirza, for the overwhelming amount of background information he provided.
Hossain Motamedi, son of Ostad Ali and Fatemeh-Khanom, grandson of Fatemeh-Khatoon, great grandson of Ostad Mohamad.