The Bakhtiyari Tribes in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution

Bibliographic Data

ID12457941
AuthorsArash Khazeni (corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume25
Issue2
Pages377-398
Publication date2005-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Studies of South Asia Africa and the Middle East (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1089-201X • E-ISSN: 1548-226X
PublisherDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1215/1089201x-25-2-377
OpenAlexW2048920046
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited14

I n June 1909, eight hundred Bakhtiyari horsemen (sawars) rode from their summer pastures in the Zagros Mountains toward Tehran to restore the Majlis (Parliament), and defend the constitutional movement in Iran. By early July, a twelve-hundred-man Bakhtiyari cavalry with one mountain gun had gathered at Rubat Karim, just southwest of Tehran, and planned to join nationalist mujahideen fromGilan and the Caucasus at the Karaj River. The Bakhtiyari and the nationalist mujahideen entered Tehran on 12 July from the hills north of the city through the Bahjatabad Gate and then moved to make their headquarters at Baharistan, the site of the old Parliament bombarded by the forces of Muhammad ‘Ali Shah during the coup of 1908. By 16 July, the number of Bakhtiyari tribesmen in Tehran had swelled to nearly two thousand, forcing the shah’s Russian-led Cossack Brigade to surrender and compelling the sovereign to seek refuge in the Russian Legation. As the event unfolded, it appeared that under the banner of constitutionalism (mashrutiyat), the Bakhtiyari were poised to become the next tribal dynasty of Iran. As supporters of the constitutional cause, the Bakhtiyari tribes were fondly portrayed in the revolutionary press as “the protectors of the nation” (hami-yi millat) from Qajar rule and European imperialism. An article in the 5 July 1909 edition of the revolutionary newspaper Habl al-Matin (Firm Rope) beckoned the tribes to come to Iran’s aid: “Oh lucky Bakhtiyari, oh persevering Qashqa’i, oh brave Shahsavan, oh Pushtikuhian, oh Kalhurian—rise up (‘barkhizid’). Unite for Islam and the nation. Put aside your differences and drive away the foreigners from the sanctuary. Don’t stand content while your country’s independence is blown

Ancient history · Geography · Political science · History · Islamic Studies and History · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Turkey's Politics and Society

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