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Observations on Sources for the Study of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-century Iranian History1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2009

Hafez F. Farmayan
Hafez F. Farmayan
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin, Texas
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Extract

Until recently, most works dealing with nineteenth-century Iran have had special points of view which now are hopelessly out of date. Concerned only with aspects of nineteenth-century Iran, they have treated these subjects either in connection with literature or with the rivalry of the European imperialist powers. Whatever the merits of these works, they may be said to have outlived their main usefulness. The age of imperialism is gone; and though the classical Persian literature of a thousand years may well be immortal, its creative spirit is dust. In Iran, as elsewhere, modern men have drastically altered their political, historical, and literary views. We now need histories of other kinds. It is time to explore and to research. Too much which is published on Iranian history continues to be either shallow, narrow, cliché-littered imitations of the not-so-great historians of the past, or are official glorifications of Iran's present, not always consistent with the truth. The field requires a widely extended and earnest historical inquiry into the development of modern Iranian society through the exploration of its recent past. An investigation of the social structure of nineteenth-century Persia, for instance, is absolutely essential to an understanding of the behavior of the present-day Iranian bureaucracy, which is often inexplicable to the Western observer. When the Persia of the peasants, the mullâs and the mîrzâs, is brought into clear perspective behind the Iran of the National Iranian Oil Company and the Plan Organization, we shall be in a position to understand the complexities of the present Iranian administrative machinery and the broad spectrum of motivation of its maintenance men.

Type
Articles
Information
International Journal of Middle East Studies , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , January 1974 , pp. 32 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1974

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References

page 33 note 1 This work was translated and published in London in 1833 by Sir Harford Jones Brydges under the title of Dynasty of the Kajars.Google Scholar

page 33 note 2 For example there is Tâhkrî-i Malik Zâdigân-Tukhmiy-i Khâqân, written in 1875 by Malik I˚raj Mîrzâ, son of Fath ‘Alî Shâh, which provides biographical sketches of the latter's numerous offspring. There is Târîkh-i Sâhib Qarânî, by Mahmúd Mîrzâ, yet another Qâjâr prince; Târîkh-i Zu'l-Qarneyn, by Fazlu'llâh Khâvarî; Târîkh-i Jahân Ârâ, by Mîrzâ Muhammad Sâdiq; Târîkh-i Â-i Qâjâr, by Mustafâ Qulî Sarâbî; Kalâmu'l Mulûk va Mulûku'l Kalâm, by Taqî 'Alî Âbâdî Shib Dîvân, which also deals with the enormous family of the second Qâjâr Shâh; Manúhu'l Qulúib, by Muhammad Nadîm; Navâdir’ 1-Amîr, by Sheykhu'l MaShâyi;Kh; Târîhkh-i Qâjârîyyih, by Vaqâyi' Nigâr Shîrâzî; and Muntakhab u't-Tavârîkh, by Mîrzâ Ibrâhîm Khân. There are many more of these unpublished historical manuscripts, but space prevents a recitation of their titles.Google Scholar

page 34 note 1 For the sake of readability, wherever possible, titles of Persian works shall appear in the text of this paper in English translation done by the author. The original Persian shall be noted in transliterated form in the footnotes.Google Scholar

page 34 note 2 TârîKh-i Kirmân, edited by Farmayan, Hafez F. and Parîzî, M. E. Bâstanîy-i (Tehran, 1961).Google Scholar

page 35 note 1 Ricks, Thomas M. gives a list of some of these histories in the periodical Iranian Studies, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 151–2.Google Scholar

page 35 note 2 For a list of I'timâdu' s-Saltanih's works see (1) Mushâr, Khân Bâbâ, Mu'alfin-i Kutub-i Chappî, vol. 11 (Tehran, 1961), pp. 594–9;Google Scholar and (2) Afshar, Iraj, Rûznâme-ye I'timâd-os-Salzaneh (Tehran, 1966), pp. 14, 1258.Google Scholar

page 35 note 3 See Adamiyat, Fereydoun, Andishihâ-yi Mîrzâ Âqâ Khân-i Kirmânî (Tehran, 1967).Google Scholar

page 35 note 4 Târîkh-i Bîdârî-yi I˚rânîyân first published in 1910. For the latest and most complete edition, see the one published in 1970 by Bunyâd-i Farhang-i I˚rân under the editorship of 'A1î-Akbar-i Sa'îdî-yi Sîrjânî.Google Scholar

page 37 note 1 Târîkh-i Marshtih-yi I˚rân.Google Scholar

page 37 note 2 Târîkh-i Bîst Sâlih-yi I˚rân, 3 vols. (Tehran, 1946).Google Scholar

page 37 note 3 Târîkh-i Ravâbit-i Sîyâsî-yi I˚rân va Ingilîs dar Qarn-i Nûzdahum-i Mîlâdî, 8 vols. (Tehran, 1949–1954).Google Scholar

page 37 note 4 Târîkh-i Inqilâb-i Mashrûtîyat-i I˚rân, 6 vols. (Tehran, 1948–1953).Google Scholar

page 38 note 1 Khatirât-i Sîyâsî-yi Mîrzâ ‘Alî Khân Amînu'd-Dowlih’, ed. Farmayan, H. F. (Tehran, 1962).Google Scholar

page 39 note 1 Rûznâmih-yi Khâtirât-i I'timâdu's-Sultanih, ed. Afshar, Iraj (Tehran, 1966).Google Scholar

page 39 note 2 Mustowfî, 'Abdu’llâh, Sharv-i Zindiânî-yi Man (Tehran, 1945).Google Scholar

page 39 note 3 Safar Nâmih-yi Hâjjî Muhzammad 'Alî Pîrzâdih, ed. Farmayan, Hafez F. (2 vols., Tehran, 1963–1966).Google Scholar

page 40 note 1 Safar Nâmih-yi Mîrzâ Muhanzmad Huseyn Farâhânî, ed. Farmayan, Hafez F. (University of Tehran Press, 1964).Google Scholar

page 40 note 2 Safar Nâmih-yi Mîrzî Fattâh Khân Garmr^dî, ed. Fattâhî, Fathu'd-Dîn (Tehran, 1968).Google Scholar

page 40 note 3 Safar Nâmih-yi Rizâ Qulî Mîrzî, ed. Qâjâr, Asghar Farrnânfarmaîy (Tehran, 1967).Google Scholar

page 40 note 4 Safar Nâmi-yi Mîrzâ Sâlih-i Shîrazî, ed. Râ'în, Ismâ'îl (Tehran, 1968).Google Scholar

page 40 note 5 Makhzanu'l- Vaqâyi': Sharh-i Ma'mûrûyyat va Musâfirat-i FarrukhKhân-i Amîn'u d-Dowlih, ed. Isfahânîyân, K. and Rowshanîn, G. (Tehran, 1965).Google Scholar

page 40 note 6 (a)Yiksadu Panjâh Sanad-i Tâîrîhî (1969);Google ScholarAsnâd-i Târîkhî Vaqâ-yi'-i Mashrûtî-yi I˚ran (1969);Google Scholar (b) Muqadami-îy bar Shinakht-i Asnâd-i Târîkhî (1971).Google Scholar

page 41 note 1 See the following works edited by Safâîy, Ibrâhîm: (a) Asnâd-i Sîyâsî-yi Dowrân-i Qâjârîyyih (Tehran, 1967);Google Scholar (b) Guzârish-hâyi Sîyâsî-yi 'Aiâ’ u'l-Mulk (Tehran, 1968);Google Scholar (c) Panjâh Nâmih-yi Târîkhî (Tehran, 1969);Google Scholar (d) Asnâd-i Barguzîdih az Zillu'l-Sultân, Sipah-Sâlâr Dabîru’ l-Mulk (Tehran, 1971).Google Scholar

page 41 note 2 See Adamiyat, Fereydoun, Andîshih-hâyi Mîrzâ Fath ‘Alî ÂKhûlndzâdih (Tehran, 1970);Google Scholar also Amîr Kabîr va Irân (Tehran, 1969);Google Scholar and Andîshih-hâyi Mîrzâ Âqâ Khân Kirmânî (Tehran, 1967).Google Scholar

page 41 note 3 See Afshar, Iraj, Savâd va Bayâz vol. 2 (1970), pp. 165–511.Google Scholar

page 44 note 1 Mahdavî, Asghghar, Huseyn Saqafî I'zâz and Hasan-'Ali Ghaffari are three individuals who have graciously permitted the University of Tehran to microfilm their most sig-nificant documents concerning the nineteenth century. These are now available to the public.Google Scholar

page 45 note 1 No. 15, .Google Scholar

page 45 note 2 No. 59, .Google Scholar

page 45 note 3 No. 369, .Google Scholar

page 46 note 1 These are numbered respectively 134, ; 124, . 125/I, ; 127, .Google Scholar

page 46 note 2 These have been microfilmed for public use and are available at the University Tehran Central Library.Google Scholar

page 46 note 3 Numbered respectively as 363, ; 130, ; 118, ; 371, .Google Scholar

page 47 note 1 Numbered 20, .Google Scholar

page 47 note 2 This list is available in microfilm form at the University of Tehran Central Library.Google Scholar