Order of Zolfaghar

The Order of Zolfaghar (Persian: نشان ذوالفقار - Neshaan-e-Zoalfaghaar) was a military order of Imperial Persia and Iran named after Zulfiqar, "Spine-cleaver", the famous sword of the Caliph Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. Founded as the "Portrait of the Commander of Faithful" by Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in 1856 to commemorate the recapture of Herat, Reza Shah, the penultimate Shah of Iran, renamed it the "Order of Zolfaghar" in 1925 and made it an exclusively military order. The original order consisted of a 5 pointed star with an enameled portrait of Imam Ali in the center and two Zolfaghar swards crossed behind the star among multiple rays. The order consisted of 3 classes: The first class consisted of a sash along with the badge; the second class consisted of a neck badge and collar and the third class was a medal.