History

The Order of Homayoun was originally instituted as the Order of the Lion and Sun under the Qajar dynasty in 1808. The Order was re-established as the Order of Homayoun, or Order of August or of Light, by Reza the Great, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, by firman on February 15, 1939. The Order was presented in 5 Classes to senior government officers and foreigners as Iran's third highest honour. The Emporer of Iran was entitled to award the Order in any class on New Years Day in recognition of service made to the advancement of culture, literature, or fine arts, service which promotes the development of the nation, selfless and altruistic aid or financial assistance during times of natural disasters or emergency, substantial innovations, or service provided to the community through charitable organizations. The Order was discontinued following the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The Order also has 3 associated medals to reward junior civil servants and other personnel who provided honourable meritorious service to the state, but whose status disqualified them for the award of the Order. The Medals are issued in 3 Classes for faithful service to the Crown. The Gold Medal is awarded as the I Class Medal.

The I Class Medal features a reverse Persian inscription which translates to "Pahlavi, the King of Kings (Emperor) of Iran" and "In Recognition of Service." The reverse also features a Persian date of the beginning of the reign of Reza Shah which translates to "16 December 1925."

There may be additional versions of the I Class Medal which vary by composition.

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