In 1972, Farah Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran’s ruler, visited the Soviet Union. The wife of the Iranian ruler was ethnically Azerbaijani and, along with other Soviet republics, visited Azerbaijan.
In Baku, a banquet was organized for the distinguished guest, accompanied by the republic’s best singers. Muslim Magomayev also performed at the evening, and as a man, he noticed that Farah Pahlavi “noticed” him.

In the early 1970s, the famous singer was invited to Tehran by the Shah of Iran, whose third wife, an Azerbaijani, wanted to meet the great singer in person. Having welcomed her honored guest, Shahbanu Farah asked Magomayev to perform for her and her guests. Naturally, he couldn’t refuse his beautiful compatriot and spent the entire evening singing for the Iranian ruler’s family and guests, performing Soviet hits, operatic parts, and traditional Azerbaijani songs. Shah Mohammed sent his secretary to inquire with Muslim Magometovich about the amount of his fee for his performance, but he flatly refused—after all, he was visiting!

When the Shah’s cortege escorted Magomayev to the airport, Shah Mohammed, as he said goodbye, presented the singer with a gold ring, saying that the finest court jeweler had crafted it, depicting an eight-pointed star, a symbol of eternity and the harmony of matter and spirit, and a bell, considered a powerful amulet in the East. As soon as he tried on the ring, Magomayev noted its special energy and never parted with it, saying that the Shah’s gift was his talisman.

However, Soviet customs officials attempted to confiscate the Shah’s gifts (probably believing Magomayev had spent his fee on them). Muslim Magometovich, however, managed to resolve this difficult situation by rightly pointing out that if the Shah learned that his gifts had been returned (Magomayev was met at the airport by a representative of the Tehran embassy), a diplomatic scandal could ensue.

For over forty years, the Soviet Orpheus wore Shah Mohammed’s ring, and after his death, the artist’s widow gave the ring to the Agalarov family, with whom the artist had been very close friends and who opened his museum in Crocus City Hall. In a small room, visitors can see rare photographs of the great baritone, his personal belongings, costumes, and paintings. Besides his unique voice, Magomayev possessed artistic talent and was a fine painter. This is also where his talisman ring, Magomayev’s only treasure, is kept: the relic is displayed in a bulletproof display case equipped with motion sensors and cameras.