Madam Polish

Eighty years ago, during the turmoil of World War II, while the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany invaded Poland from two sides, the defenseless Polish people were displaced from their homeland, and many of them were transferred to Siberian camps as prisoners of war. When the tide of war turned and the Soviet Union shifted from being Germany’s ally to its enemy, the Polish displaced persons were relocated for the second time; this time thousands of Polish women, men, and children were sent to Iran. Among these Polish migrants, a few young girls remained in Iran permanently and married Iranian men, forming families. One of these women, Maria Baydan, spent her entire life in Tehran and was eventually buried in Dolab Cemetery alongside her fellow countrymen.