Some Historical Events in the Modern History of Iran
Some Historical Events in the Modern History of Iran: On September 21, 1881 AD, Qajarid Iran was forced to officially recognize Russia’s annexation of the ancient Iranian land of Khwarezm in Central Asia through the Treaty of Akhal. Following Iran’s defeat in 1860, and with the increasing occupation of its territories in the southern Caucasus by Russia, and eastern Khorasan by Britain and the Afghans; Moscow stepped up its campaign to take full control of Central Asia.
Forces led by Generals Mikhail Skobelev, Ivan Lazarev and Konstantin Kaufman led the campaign, while Iran was unable to react. The immobilized Naser od-Din Shah sent foreign secretary Mirza Sa’eed Khan Mo’tamen ol-Mulk to meet Ivan Zinoviev and sign the treaty, by virtue of which Iran would henceforth cease any claim to all parts of Transoxiania, setting the Atrak River as the new boundary. Three years later in 1884, the historical Iranian cities of Merv, Sarakhs, Ishqabad, and the surrounding areas were transferred to Russian control, and are now part of the modern republic of Turkmenistan. Khwarezm is a large oasis region on the River Oxus delta in West-Central Asia, bordered to the north by the Aral Sea, to the east the Qyzylkum Desert, to the south the Qarakum Desert and to the west the Ustyurt Plateau. Its famous capitals where Iranian scholars and scientists flourished were Kath, Gurganj and from the 16th century onwards Khiva. Today Khwarezm is divided among the republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
On 19th of the Islamic month of Zil-Qa’dah in 1238 AH, a treaty was signed between representatives of the Iranian Qajarid and the Ottoman Turkish sultanates in Erzurum in eastern Turkey, following the defeat of the forces of Sultan Mahmoud II by the army of Fath Ali Shah. The treaty followed the consecutive failures of the Ottomans against Iran. Iran relinquished its claims to Solaimanieh in northeastern Iraq and the western part of Zuhaab region, and in return the Ottomans recognized Iran’s sovereignty over Khoramshahr Port, Khizr Island, and the western bank of Arvandroud River, in addition to Iran’s shipping rights in the joint waterway.
On October 1, 1827 AD, Russia, in violation of the Treaty of Golestan signed in 1813 with Qajarid Iran, following the end of its war and occupation of Daghestan and other regions in the Caucasus, sent an army under General Ivan Paskevich to start the 2nd Russo-Persian war. The Russians seized the Khanate of Yerevan from Iran as well as Nakhchevan and what is now the Republic of Azerbaijan. Yerevan is currently the capital of the Republic of Armenia.
On October 2,1921 AD, the police chief of Khorasan, Colonel Mohammad Taqi Khan Pesyaan, was killed by agents of the regime. He was a highly influential figure and strove for Iran’s independence. Following the British-engineered coup to install the colonialist agent Reza Khan as prime minister of the young Qajarid king, he commenced his struggle against infiltration by foreign powers and their local lackeys in government affairs. He was joined by officers in Khorasan Province and soon took charge of all provincial affairs in the name of the beleaguered government of Ahmad Shah Qajar. As a result battles started with Reza Khan’s agents, leading to his martyrdom in one such clash.
On October 13, 1964 AD, the Capitulation Bill was approved by the rubber-stamp parliament of the Pahlavi regime, granting US military personnel immunity from trial in Iran’s courts on committing any crime. This was an infringement of Iran’s national sovereignty and an insult to the Iranian nation. Hence, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), rejected it outright and later in a historical speech revealed the sinister dimensions of aspects of this humiliating bill for the Iranian people, while castigating the British-installed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for his oppression of the people and subservience to the US. This keynote speech led to the detention and exile of the Imam on November 4, 1964.
On October 13, 1968 AD, the contemporary Iranian painter, Hussein Behzad, passed away. He was known as the most important miniaturist painter of contemporary Iran, and should not be confused with Kamal od-Din Behzad the Master-Painter of the Safavid Era. He was an innovative miniaturist painter and revived in modern times this aesthetic Iranian-Islamic art. He adopted new methods in application of colors to depict joy, sorrow and other emotions. Among the valuable works of art which he has left behind, mention can be made of “Eivan-e Mada’en” or the Portal of Anushirvan’s Palace in Ctesiphon, near Baghdad, and “Fath-e Babel” or The Conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great.
On September 24,1978 AD, on instructions from the Shah’s regime, the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Iraq, besieged the home of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) in holy Najaf, to pressure him to refrain from interviews with reporters, issuance of declarations, and delivery of speeches and sermons on the tyrannical nature of the Pahlavi despot. Imam Khomeini told them that he was fulfilling his legitimate Islamic duty and has no regrets. Soon, the Ba’thists forced the Imam to leave Iraq, and after obtaining a visa from the Kuwait embassy in Baghdad he headed towards that Persian Gulf sheikhdom in a car, but was prevented entry at the border despite holding a valid visa. As a result, he was forced to obtain a visit visa from the French embassy and flew to Paris, where he became more accessible to the media in the events leading to the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
On October 3, 1978 AD, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), following restrictions placed on his political and religious activities by the Ba’th minority regime of Iraq, travelled by car towards Kuwait on a valid visa. The Kuwaiti regime, however, denied him entry under pressure from the Shah’s despotic regime. Imam Khomeini then obtained a visit visa for France and left for Paris.
On October 5,1978 AD, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), left Iraq for Paris on a visit visa, following the refusal of the Kuwaiti authorities to allow him entry despite his holding of valid visa. Both the Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad and Kuwait were under pressure from the despotic regime of the Shah to prevent the Imam from carrying out his revolutionary activities. His arrival in Paris proved a blessing in disguise as the world media became more easily accessible to him and his declarations. Less than four months later, the Imam arrived in Tehran after 14 years in exile, to a grand unprecedented welcome to mark the triumph of the Islamic Revolution and the end of the Pahlavi regime.
On September 27, 1981 AD, upon the order of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), Iran’s Muslim combatants launched the victorious Samen al-Ai’mma operations to break the more-than-a-year long siege of the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran, by the invading forces of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad. The successful operation amazed the world’s military and political planners, and was a turning point in the 8-year war imposed by the US on Iran through Saddam.
On September 30,1981 AD, several high-ranking commanders of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces were martyred in a plane crash while returning from the “Samen al-Ai’mma” operations that broke the siege of city of Abadan and pushed back the invading Ba’thist forces. The martyrs were Valiollah Fallahi, Javad Fakouri, Musa Namju, Yusuf Kolahdouz, and Mohammad Jahan Aara. On hearing of this incident Imam Khomeini (RA) paid tributes to the martyrs and referred to them as the commanders of Islam.
On 6th of the Islamic month of Zil-Hijjah in 1407 AH, hundreds of Hajj pilgrims from Iran and other countries, while observing the divine ritual of disavowal of disbelievers, were martyred by Saudi forces, on the orders of Interior Minister, Nayef Ibn Abdul-Aziz. The Hajj pilgrims observe this ritual every year on the basis of the opening ayahs of Surah Towbah of the Holy Qur’an, where God commands the believers to declare their disavowal of disbelievers or Bara’at min al-Mushrikin. During this ritual, Hajj pilgrims call on Muslims to close ranks and announce their resentment toward the archenemies of Islam, especially the US and the illegal Zionist entity. The inspiration behind revival of this Islamic practice was the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). The present Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, also stresses the importance of this ritual as instrumental in awakening Muslims and preserving their dignity.
20th of the Iranian month of Mehr/ October 12, is the day for commemoration of the famous Iranian poet, Khwajah Shams od-Din Mohammad Hafez Shirazi. Born in the southern city of Shiraz in 1348 AD, he was a memorizer of the Holy Qur’an and Arabic literature, and thus popularly known as “Hafez”. Being inspired by Islamic teachings, he used unique metaphors, writing the best Persian ghazals or lyrics in the history of Iran’s literature. For this reason, the Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in an address to congress, commemorating the 600th anniversary of the death of Hafez, termed the commemoration of Hafez as the commemoration of Islamic and Iranian culture and pure thoughts, while naming Hafez as the most glittering cultural figure of Iran. Up to now, numerous commentaries have been written on the Diwan of Hafez, which has been translated into major world languages. Hafez passed away in 1413 AD.
