QAJAR

The Qajar Dynasty was established [i] in 1789 by the leader of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, who took full control of Iran to reunify the nation. He reestablished [ii] Iranian sovereignty in the former territories of Georgia and the Caucuses, which were independent under the rule of local governors. The Qajar Dynasty ruled until its demise in 1925, when the last king, Ahmad Shah, failed to preserve Iranian sovereignty. During World War I, Iran was occupied by Russian, British, and Ottoman troops, which weakened [iii] the king’s rule and led to a coup d’état that placed the Pahlavi Dynasty in power.

The Qajar Dynasty lacked allies, but had many rivals including the Ottoman Empire [iv], Russia, and Great Britain. The Qajars fought [v] once against the Ottoman Empire in 1821 and twice against Russia in 1804 and 1826. Both Russo-Persian Wars ended poorly for the Qajars, as their losses forced them to cede control of the Caucuses back to the Tsar of Russia. In 1856, the Qajar Shah seized [vi] the Afghan city of Herat to make up for his previous losses, but the British considered this a threat to their control of India and declared war against Persia, leading the Shah to back down.

Under the most successful Qajar king, Nasser al-Din Shah, Persia began [vii] modernizing through telegraph lines, Western styled schools, a modern postal service, and its first newspaper. The first modern university of Iran was established [viii] in 1851, Dar al-Fonoon, with Iranian, French, and Russian instructors that provided modern knowledge and techniques to the students. Modernity also spread to art and architecture, as different styles were used [ix] simultaneously to showcase the Islamic history along the European influence. Many of the Qajar-era buildings still remain today, including [x] the Constitution House in Tabriz, the Golestan Palace Complex in Tehran, and Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz.

The Qajar Dynasty’s ruling system was weak and decentralized; as their inability to collect taxes from citizens prevented [xi] them from establishing a standing army and a stable bureaucracy. This, coupled with the mountainous terrain and the lack of rapid transportation between provinces, resulted in the Shahs having very little power outside of Tehran. There were no railroads connecting [xii] the country and therefore the Shahs were forced to delegate authority to provincial governors and tribal leaders. In some instances, independent tribes and city factions had their own private armies fight battles without the central government’s involvement, complicating the rule of the nation.

The Qajar Era [xiii] began in 1779 upon the death of Mohammad Karim Khan Zand, the first and last ruler of the Zand Dynasty. Then, Agha Mohammad Khan set out to reunify Iran and seized power to become the first Qajar king. His family held on to power for seven generations until around 1920, when the government had no control of the areas outside Tehran and the oil concession given to Britain sparked [xiv] nationalist unrest. The following year, Colonel Reza Khan led a bloodless coup and seized power, officially becoming Shah in 1925 as part of Iran’s last monarchy, the Pahlavi Dynasty.

Under the kingdom’s first Shah, Agha Mohammad Khan, a historic accomplishment was declaring Tehran the capital of Iran, which remains today. Additionally, the incompetence [xv] of the fifth Qajar Shah, Mozaffar ad-Din, led to a constitutional revolution in 1906 that gave [xvi] an elected body, called the Majlis, the power to confirm cabinet members and issue laws. In 1907, an amendment [xvii] called the Supplementary Fundamental Law was added that guaranteed [xviii] citizens’ rights of free speech, press, association, life, and property. The Qajar period also marked a transition [xix] from traditional to modern architecture in Iran, as pre-Islamic styles were complemented with European neo-classical forms.

Under Qajar rule, Naser o-Din Shah racked [xx] up large foreign loans to pay for an extravagant and lavish lifestyle that left Iran virtually bankrupt. When he was assassinated, his son Mozaffar o-Din became [xxi] king and further exacerbated financial problems. He started issuing concessions that allowed foreign nations access to its natural resources. The 1901 D’Arcy concession gave [xxii] a British entrepreneur, William Knox D’Arcy, exclusive rights to search for oil in Iran. In return, the Iranian government gained [xxiii] 20,000 British pounds upfront and 16% of all future profits. This angered the population and incited [xxiv] a wave of nationalism within the country.