JOURNAL OF IRAN HISTORY (JOURNAL OF HUMAN SCIENCES)
Year:2020 | Volume:12 | Issue:2|Papers Count:9

Sabzevar region, formerly called Beihagh, has always possessed a prominent position alongside the commercial-cultural Kingsway of Khorasan. In addition to pilgrimage and administrative purposes travelling through Sabzevar was done for trading. Therefore, during the late Qajarid Period, it was transformed into a pivotal city with thriving domestic and foreign trade. This research is set to apply historical methodology based on chronology of events and employ cause and effect analogy as well as library and document study to gather data and respond to these questions to represent the changes occurred in Sabzevar commercial status during late Qajarid Period and the factors influencing these changes. Findings of this study indicate that in the first half of Qajarid dynasty much attention has not been paid to the issue of security and commercial infrastructure which are among the preliminary requirements of trading. Over this period, the surprise attack of Turkmen and the sabotage made by government agents were major barriers in commercial development of Sabzevar. A few years after the seating of Nasereddin Shah, the central government adopted some reforms and Russians after signing Akhal contract created security by defeating Turkmen in middle Asia. These conditions and the Russian tendency to access commerce in the northern area of Iran, provided domestic and foreign trade opportunities in Sabzevar, in a way that it remarkably increased both the local raw material and regional trade. In this period, owing to Russian actions regarding keeping security, and development of trade booming in Sabzevar and it played a significant role more than Qajarid dynasty in the northern part of Iran.

Shahsevan tribe, as one of the greatest tribal unions in the history of Iran, lost a vast proportion of its winter quarters (qeshlaq) during the wars between Iran and Russia, their movement being restricted to Moqan plain (for winter quarters, qeshlaq) and Sabalan hillsides (for summer quarters, yeylaq). Finally, a portion of Shahsevans were forced to settle in Moqan plain in Reza Shah Era. By gathering data regarding Shahsevan tribe from historical references and archives and by using historical method and descriptive-analytic approach, this article studies the shahsevans’ settlement in Moqan plain, arshaq, winter quarters of Sabalan and areas adjacent to the mentioned areas. The results show that giving governmental lands to people and taking guarantee (assurance) from them as well as construction of gendarmerie stations for preventing nomads from rebellion and disobedience, creating irrigation channels, besides establishment of settling officers in settled regions, establishing agricultural schools, burning wandering instruments, pasture tax elimination and regulating new agricultural laws, were the most important causes of Shahsevans settlement in Moqan plain and its neighbor regions.

Iran has long time had trade and transit relations with its eastern neighbors. Throughout history, these relationships have been shaped by various factors. In the 40s and 50s, Iran attempted to develop trade and transit trade with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Documents show that the Iranian government at this time was looking for a new way to create foreign markets and transit routes to the eastern borders of the country for various reasons. In this regard setting up plans became a priority. Among them is the development of trade routes with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The question this article is set to answer is: How was the effort to develop business with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 40s and 50s? To answer this question, the article engages in historical methods and examines the documentation of Iran’ s commercial relations over the past two decades. Surveys show that the first of the commercial deals with its eastern neighbors focused on the oil issue; however, these countries had common markets with Iran for other goods as well. Later, Iran’ s focus on the transit of goods has increased by way of devising other ways of transportation, allowing for the nation’ s return to its focal role becoming the central route of transportation from the East to the West; nevertheless, political barriers resulted in the fall of the plans.

This study analyzes the position of the Trebizond Empire and the Emirate of Karaman and their relations with the Aqqoyunlu and Ottoman governments during the Hasan-Beg period, relying on Iranian and Ottoman historical sources. The two states’ position in the Anatolian region, in terms of political and economic interests, was of paramount importance in the foreign policy of the Aqqoyunlu and Ottoman governments. The policy of territorial expansion and access to the Anatolian commercial highways revealed a manifestation of the contradictory strategic interests of these governments. This also resulted in hostile relations between the two sides. The main question is what role did the empire of Trebizond and the emirate of Quraman play in the Aqqoyunlu and Ottoman relations in the Hasan beg era. The findings of this study show that Hassan Beg opted for a policy of unity and influence in local Anatolian emirates to advance his goals in Anatolia, resulting in confronting the Ottoman sultan. However, Aqqoyunlu’ s foreign encounters with other neighboring states and the weakening of the military power of the two local governments eventually led to the defeat of Hasan Beg and the annexation of the Trebizond and Karman territories to the Ottoman government. The methodology used in this study is descriptive and analytical

The Iran-Russia wars and Iranian awareness of the issue of progress made Iranian elites to write booklet as a solution and after them newspapers tried to provide a solution to release Iran from backwardness. As the first newspaper published abroad, Akhtar writers introduced the question of Japan as an advanced Asian country that can be a good model for Iranians and the causes of its progress. Factors such as “ knowledge development“ , “ the role of the emperor“ , “ women“ and “ relation with the west“ are among the concepts that the newspaper stresses on the causes of the country’ s progress; therefore, the main question of this study is what essential elements, based on the analysis provided by Akhtar, led to the development of japan? And what was their understanding of this country? The hypothesis is focused on that the authors of the newspaper regard the objective causes of development and ignoring the historical background of the country in educational and social fields. To answer the question, the newspaper has been analyzed to provide documentary evidence on the Akhtar writer’ s understanding on the roots of Japan ‘ s development.

Sheikh Fazlollah Noori was represented as a negative figure in constitutionalism discourse’ s historiography as someone who defended the constitution revolution at the beginning yet finally due to his disagreement with two other constitutionalist clergy leaders, Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabaei and Seyyed Abdollah Behbahani lead him to join anti-constitutionalists and become an advocate of despotism, and accompany Mohammad Ali Shah; the shift that at the one hand encouraged the Shah to murder and suppress constitutionalists, eventually leading to Sheikh’ s trial and execution. But during Islamic Republic reign, another representation had been presented against the representation. The research question is that in the era of Islamic Republic which and why representations of Sheikh Fazlollah Noori did replace the noted representation in historiography of constitutionalism discourse? For this problem, Critical Discourse Analysis Method, specially Wodak’ s Discourse Historical Approach, is applied. Findings show that in the period of Islamic Republic, influenced by social-political context which characterized as anti-monarchy, anti-West and Gharbzadegi (Westernized), anti-imperialism and anti-intellectual, Sheikh Fazlollah Noori was represented as a great and positive character who was independent, advocate of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) and Islamic government, and obviously opposite of monarchy and Westernization, like all clergymen resisted ceaselessly against colonization and despotism, and died a martyr in this way.

Iranian identity is a flowing, multifaceted and complicated concept which has been formed over the long history of Iran, being rooted in concepts and sources like, religion, history, land, language, customs, traditions, festivals and Iranshahr (Iranian civilization) thoughts. This authentic concept underwent many changes due to Arab invasion and lack of integrity in the political system of the country although it was reformed in new ways after experiencing short intervals of wane. Invasion of Mongols along with the overthrow of the Abbasid caliphate, caused an unintended revival of Iranian political identity under the ruling of Mongols and provided some Iranian thinkers such as Wassaf-e-Shirazi with an invaluable opportunity to reproduce and reorganize some instances and criteria of Iranian identity including idealistic royal thoughts, justice and Iranian patriotism. This article extracts and analyzes some instances of Iranian identity during Wassaf History using a historical procedure in the form of an analytic-descriptive approach. In so doing, a question and a hypothesis are put forward to be analyzed. The question the article is set to answer is: How has the role of the author in reviving the Iranian identity been reflected in his work regarding his professional status in his time? Hypothesis: Wassaf, who was aware of the components of Iranian identity and had close relationships with the most prominent ministers of the Ilkhanids, as well as using the tendency of converting to Islam by Mongol Ilkhanids from Ghazan Khan, tried to become like his predecessors such as Khwaja Rashid al-Din Fazlallah and Jovini to restore the components of Iranian identity in his work. The findings of the study reveals that Wassaf has introduced concepts and instances of Iranian identity in his work in order to have a significant impact on its preservation, transmission and consolidation in Iranian society

The “ self” and the “ other” are socially constructed concepts, and the cultural and historical backgrounds of different nations and the ideologies govern societies, change the nature of these two concepts, their definition, and th relationship type are influential. Iran’ s confrontation with Western civilization in the Qajar era-the most important cultural phenomenon in Iranian history after its confrontation with Islam, confronted Iranian’ s “ self” against the European “ Other” and the pervasive impact of this confrontation led to widespread changes in the nature of Iranian culture and society, caused the identity of Iranian society unprecedented changes. Talibov, one of the pioneers of modernism in Iran in constitutional era, stablished the basis of revision toward “ self” and “ other” . Focusing on Talibov’ s written works, this paper addresses two questions in a descriptive-analytic way: How were “ self” and “ other” reflected in Talibov’ s written mirrors, and what was Talibov’ s role in the social-cultural development in the disturbed society of his era? The research hypothesis is as follow: The lived experience in cultural sphere reinforces the audacity of “ self” in accepting the “ other” , preserving the identity also guarantees the culture survival and social beliefs. The results show Talibov by emphasis on protecting the Iranian identity, had a transformative role in Iranian cultural and social spheres by depicting “ self-Iranian society” and portraying “ other-western” superiority in his works, despite trying to shake the traditional Qajar discourse and the dominating power of Western discourse.