Journal of Documentary and Archival Studies

Abstract Abstract
In the early twentieth century, the constitutional movement in Iran sought to establish justice and promote a more equitable distribution of political power within Qajar society. This transnational movement, which had precipitated far-reaching political and social transformations in the Ottoman Empire, various Asian polities, and even Russia, likewise engendered significant structural changes in Iran’s political order, the configuration of power, and the institutionalization of the rule of law. Amid these transformations, the lack of consensus among popular demands, coupled with the ruling elite’s resistance to curtailing its absolutist authority, gave rise to armed confrontations that escalated into a civil conflict between the constitutionalists and the forces of the state. These conflicts, in turn, marginalized the foundational principles of constitutionalism. The key contributions of this study are threefold: (1) introducing the Faryad newspaper, which was published in Urmia during the Constitutional period; (2) examining the political and social demands articulated by Urmia’s elites during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution; and (3) tracing shifts in the political and social demands of Urmia’s political elites from the outset of the Constitutional movement through the end of the Faryad newspaper’s publication.
Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, this study seeks to identify and elucidate the demands of the constitutionalists of Urmia through a content analysis of articles published in the Faryad newspaper.
The main research questions are as follows: Based on the contents of the Faryad newspaper, what political and social demands were articulated by the constitutionalists of Urmia? How did the demands of the constitutionalists of Urmia evolve over the course of the Constitutional movement?
The findings indicate that, from the outset of the Constitutional movement, the people of Urmia, like other communities across Azerbaijan and Iran, articulated demands for freedom, liberty, national rights, and related political and social aspirations. These demands were reflected in the pages of the Faryad newspaper published in Urmia. Over time, however, as state authority weakened and borderland tribal groups became increasingly restive, the constitutionalists’ demands in Urmia gradually receded in priority, giving way to more immediate popular concerns. The preservation of security consequently emerged as the foremost priority among their demands.
Introduction
Urmia, the second-largest city in Azerbaijan, experienced a period of considerable political and social upheaval during the Constitutional Revolution. The Faryad newspaper, the first reputable nationalist publication in Urmia, played a significant role in disseminating the modern political and social ideas of the time. Urmia was the first city in the Qajar domains to have its own newspaper, despite not being the provincial capital.
The first issue of the newspaper was published on 21 Muharram 1325 AH / 14 Esfand 1285 SH, while its twenty-third and final issue appeared on 6 Dhu al-Qa'dah 1325 AH / 25 Tir 1286 SH. Following the bombardment of the Majles and the consolidation of power by state-backed opponents of the Constitutional movement, the Faryad newspaper, like other nationalist publications, ceased publication as the constitutional order was disrupted.
For a considerable period, the central concern of numerous treatises, books, and periodicals was the Constitutional movement and the examination of its nature. In fact, the meaning of constitutionalism, its interpretation and explication, and even legal notions such as the demand for rights, the protection of rights, and dozens of other demands remained unclear in public forums, periodicals, and public discourse in the absence of a clear definition of its nature and mechanisms of implementation. Even interpretations and readings of constitutionalism varied across different regions, particularly in Azerbaijan, with Tabriz as its principal center and regional centers such as Rasht, Zanjan, Urmia, Ardabil, and Qazvin, in contrast to cities such as Isfahan. This was because Azerbaijani constitutionalism was, on the one hand, directly influenced by the two Social Democratic schools of thought in Baku and Tiflis, which drew their intellectual inspiration from Russia, and, on the other hand, was shaped by the ideas of the Ottoman Union and Progress movement. Research Questions: What were the principal demands of Urmia’s constitutionalists? How did these demands evolve, as reflected in the Faryad newspaper? More broadly, what did the people of Urmia seek during the Constitutional period?
Research Methodology
This study employs a qualitative historical approach, drawing primarily on archival issues of the Faryad newspaper and supplemented by relevant published library sources.
Research Findings
In the early twentieth century, the Constitutional movement and the idea of a more equitable distribution of power between the state and the nation gave rise to significant political and social transformations in Qajar Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and even Russia. In its early stages, constitutional discourse remained broad and relatively unspecific, centering on notions such as progress, prosperity, the protection of rights, welfare, security, reform, the establishment of the National Consultative Assembly, well-being, the interests of the state and the nation, the public good, and the major and essential needs of the people. In fact, principles and concepts such as constitutionalism, the demand for rights, the protection of rights, and dozens of other terms were repeatedly invoked in forums, associations, and periodicals, yet remained broadly formulated and undefined in terms of their practical mechanisms of implementation. Gradually, more complex demands articulated by both constitutionalists and secularists were incorporated into the discourse. In Azerbaijan, these demands found expression in other freedom-oriented formulations, including “herald of reform,” “advocate of progress,” “patriotism,” “freedom of expression,” and “love of the homeland,” as reflected in the Faryad newspaper. Threats from factions opposed to the armed struggle of Urmia’s constitutionalists led to a marked shift in the content of the Faryad newspaper from issue no. 13 onward. Unlike the earlier issues, its coverage thereafter contained few references to the principal demands and fundamental principles of constitutionalism. Instead, the newspaper largely focused on reports of border clashes with the Ottoman Empire and the ongoing confrontations and skirmishes between Kurdish tribal groups and the armed constitutionalist forces in western Azerbaijan.
An examination of all 23 issues of the Faryad newspaper reveals that, amid these political and social transformations, several factors—including the lack of uniformity in popular demands, the ruling authorities’ resistance to curtailing their absolute power, armed conflicts that approached the scale of a civil war between the constitutionalists and government forces, tribal Kurdish uprisings, and the broader deterioration of security in western Azerbaijan, particularly in Urmia and Salmas—contributed to the marginalization of the initial principles of constitutionalism in the region.

Abstract Local history, along with other types of historiography, has been one of the fields that Iranian historians have explored and produced valuable works. This type of historiography, centered on topography, provides valuable insights into the social, economic, cultural, history, geography, rulers and rulers, and political developments of a specific city and region, which is less common in other types of historiography, such as general or dynasties. Today, historical research with a social and civilizational approach to local histories has gained a prominent position, and their reports, along with other sources and texts, are very helpful in depicting the faces of cities and examining the socio-economic and cultural developments of different regions. In the meantime, rereading old documents, accessing existing documents among private custodians of documents, and utilizing existing resources, contribute greatly to the flourishing and dynamism of this knowledge. The province of Qohestan (present-day South Khorasan), despite its harsh climatic conditions and the lack of official historians in the later centuries before the 13th century AH, has been a turbulent and influential region in the political, scientific, and cultural history of the east of the country and even the country at times. In this part of the country, there have been scholars and clerics who may have been left anonymous by local historians. With the help of documentary studies, the existence of reliable documents, and family archives, some of these scholars have been revived and revived. Therefore, this article introduces one of the famous and renowned scholars of Qohestan (whose name was not mentioned in later sources), Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Hardangi, through documentary and archival studies.

Abstract Introduction
From a historical perspective, examining mirrorwork in Shiʿi shrines involves more than the study of an artistic technique or decorative tradition; it also provides an opportunity to explore the cultural, institutional, and political dimensions of these sacred spaces. The Holy Shrine of Imam ʿAli in Najaf, as one of the most significant sites of Shiʿi historical and affective memory, has undergone successive phases of restoration, expansion, and ornamentation, with Iranians also playing a role in some of these interventions. Nevertheless, information on these interventions relies less on archival records than on general accounts, scattered narratives, and unsystematic references. The central concern of this study is to examine the political and ideological dimensions of the mirrorwork undertaken in part of the Imam ʿAli Shrine in 1950–1951, with the patronage and support of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The significance of this issue lies in the fact that historiographical studies of the Shiʿi holy shrines have often struggled to reconstruct, with precision, the processes through which such projects were carried out, their sources of funding, the administrative channels through which decisions were made, and the roles played by the various actors involved. Consequently, an important aspect of the historical reality underlying such projects has remained insufficiently documented and examined. The central question is: how a monarch who, according to accounts by some of those close to him, did not demonstrate a strong commitment to religious observance, and whose personal lifestyle was perceived as markedly at odds with religious norms, came to order that the costs of the mirrorwork at the Ali's Shrine be financed from the revenues of the Astan Quds Razavi. The Shah’s decision may therefore be interpreted not simply as a direct reflection of his personal beliefs, but rather in relation to the crisis of monarchical legitimacy, his patterns of political action, his symbolic affiliations with Shiʿism, and what some interpretations have conceptualized under the notion of “primitive religion.” Nevertheless, such an interpretation can be substantiated only through a rigorous examination of primary evidence rather than reliance on generalized narratives. By drawing on the unpublished documentary collection “Payment of the Expenses of the Mirrorwork at the Holy Shrine of ʿAli from the Revenues of Astan Quds,” preserved in the Astan Quds Razavi Archives, it becomes possible to reconstruct the financial, administrative, and operational details of the project. The documents comprise official correspondence, expense statements, payment orders, checks, follow-up reports, and records relating to the allocation and transfer of funds. Taken together, they provide not only a basis for determining the amounts and stages of payment, but also valuable insights into the network of institutions involved, the procedures through which the project was monitored, and the roles of key individuals in its implementation. Accordingly, this study seeks to move beyond a mere description of the stages involved in an architectural decorative project and to demonstrate how, against the backdrop of a political and religious crisis, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi sought to enhance his legitimacy and public acceptance through an act that combined artistic and religious dimensions.
Research Methodology
This study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology within a historical-documentary framework to examine the mirrorwork undertaken in part of the Ali's Shrine during the contemporary period, drawing on archival documents preserved in the Astan Quds Razavi Archives. The archival corpus comprises an unpublished documentary collection entitled “Payment of the Expenses of the Mirrorwork at the Holy Shrine of ʿAli from the Revenues of Astan Quds” (34 pages, in Persian; archival reference no. 90444; record no. 1075586). Data were collected through direct consultation of the archival materials, systematic cataloguing, digital imaging, and the complete transcription of the documents. This archival collection comprises inactive administrative records relating to financial accounting, classified as “Highly Important” and preserved in the repository of the Astan Quds Document Administration. In contrast to previous studies, which have relied predominantly on field observations and stylistic analysis, the present study draws on detailed financial and administrative records that document the various stages of the mirrorwork project in one of the most prominent pilgrimage sites in the Shiʿi world. These archival materials make it possible to reconstruct, with greater precision, the economic, administrative, and operational dimensions of mirrorwork as an artistic and architectural practice.
Discussion and Findings
Among the major architectural and cultural initiatives undertaken during the thirty-seven-year reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, his order to the Astan Quds Razavi to finance the mirrorwork at the Alavi Shrine constitutes a particularly significant case. The subsequent attribution of this undertaking to the Shah himself points to a historically consequential act whose significance extends beyond the immediate execution of a decorative project, raising questions about its institutional, political, and symbolic dimensions within the broader context of Pahlavi rule. Although this undertaking ostensibly took shape within a religious and artistic framework, it can also be examined from political and ideological perspectives, as well as through the lens of the psychology of power. At the same time, it may be understood as reflecting the crisis of monarchical legitimacy in the face of the rising tide of nationalism, while also revealing the complex mechanisms through which the monarchical system sought to sustain itself by operating through parallel institutions. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s decision to provide financial resources for the mirrorwork at the Ali's Shrine, undertaken within a society in which Shiʿism constituted a central axis of collective memory, affect, and political legitimacy, should not be understood merely as a decorative initiative; rather, it may be interpreted as a political act and a form of the symbolic display of power. Shah confronted with a crisis of legitimacy, but this intervention provided an opportunity to present himself as a patron of the grandeur and prestige of the Alavi Shrine.
Research findings
The crisis of monarchical legitimacy and public acceptance was among the major issues confronting the Pahlavi monarchy during the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, prompting the regime to pursue various measures to address it. One such measure was the financing of the mirrorwork at the Alavi Shrine from the revenues of Astan Quds Razavi during the politically critical years of 1329–1330 SH. This undertaking may be interpreted as a strategic choice at the intersection of the crisis of monarchical legitimacy, the financial and administrative constraints facing the royal court, the pressures arising from the nationalization of the oil industry, and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s need to position himself in relation to the Shiʿi world. As the Mosaddegh government’s pressure on the financial resources and constitutional authority of the monarchy, coupled with the growing influence of nationalist and religious forces, increasingly constrained Mohammad Reza Shah’s ability to rely on conventional instruments of royal power, he turned to the financial resources of Astan Quds Razavi as an alternative channel for funding the project. This arrangement enabled the Shah to undertake the initiative outside the direct oversight of the official state budget and, at the same time, to present it to religiously oriented segments of the public as a legitimate act of service to Shiʿism. The selection of Astan Quds Razavi carried a multilayered political and symbolic significance. It demonstrated that the monarchy retained access to financial resources beyond the formal state budget, situated the largest Shiʿi endowment within the sphere of royal authority, and enabled the monarch to present himself as a patron of the grandeur of the sacred shrines. Viewed in this context, the mirrorwork at the Alavi Shrine may be understood as part of a broader effort to reconstruct the public image of the monarchy and to cultivate the symbolic persona of the “Shiʿi king,” thereby strengthening its claims to public acceptance and monarchical legitimacy.

Abstract Abstract
Waqf deeds constitute important primary sources for examining patterns of property ownership, asset allocation, and women’s participation in the religious and social life of local communities. Although previous scholarship has addressed various legal, economic, and religious dimensions of women’s waqf, the waqf practices of women in Amol and Babol during the First Pahlavi period remain underexplored, particularly through the systematic analysis of waqf deeds. This study aims to elucidate patterns of women’s waqf practices in the two cities and to examine the relationship between the types of endowed properties and local economic conditions and patterns of property ownership. It also investigates similarities and differences in the purposes of these endowments. The study employs content analysis of seven women’s waqf deeds dated between 1305 and 1319 SH. The findings indicate that women endowed various types of property, including agricultural land, residential properties, gardens, rural properties, and commercial premises. Agricultural land, gardens, and residential properties are more prominent in the Amol deeds, whereas the Babol deeds document not only agricultural land but also shops and other commercial premises. By contrast, the purposes of the endowments in both cities were largely similar, focusing primarily on mourning ceremonies and religious observances associated with Imam Husayn, including taʿziyeh performances, rowzeh-khani (religious lamentation recitations), and the provision of food for mourners. The principal difference between the two cities therefore lay not in the religious orientation of the women who established these endowments, but in the types of property they endowed and the economic resources available to support their intended purposes. The evidence suggests that women’s waqf practices constituted a form of religious and social participation shaped by local patterns of property ownership and resource allocation.
Introduction
Waqf deeds are valuable primary sources for the study of social history because they provide documentary evidence of property ownership, asset allocation, and participation in religious and social life. In addition to identifying the properties endowed and specifying how their revenues were to be used, these documents can reveal the nature of the assets available to endowers and the priorities that shaped their allocation. In the case of women, waqf deeds offer an opportunity to examine their ownership of property, their capacity to dispose of assets through endowment, and their participation in the religious and social affairs of their local communities.
Although previous studies have examined the legal, economic, and religious dimensions of women’s waqf, documentary evidence concerning women’s waqf practices in Amol and Babol during the First Pahlavi period remains insufficiently explored. This study examines women’s waqf practices in the two cities and investigates whether differences in their local economic conditions and patterns of property ownership were reflected in the types of properties they endowed. It also compares the purposes specified in the deeds to determine whether differences in the composition of endowed properties corresponded to differences in the religious and social objectives pursued by the endowers. The study thus distinguishes between the purposes of waqf and the material resources through which those purposes were supported.
Materials and Methods
The study employs content analysis as its research method. Its documentary corpus consists of seven waqf deeds established by women in Amol and Babol and dated between 1305 and 1319 SH. The deeds were selected on the basis of their attribution to female endowers and the availability of sufficient information concerning the endowed properties, waqf purposes, allocation of revenues, and conditions stipulated by the endowers.
The deeds were analyzed with particular attention to the type and composition of raqabat (properties endowed as waqf), the basis of ownership, the purposes of the endowments, the allocation of their revenues, and the conditions specified in the documents. The findings from Amol and Babol were then compared to identify similarities and differences in the composition of the endowed properties and the purposes of waqf. To interpret these findings, the study draws on Max Weber’s theory of social action, particularly the distinction between value-rational action and instrumentally rational action. This theoretical framework is used to examine the relationship between the religious purposes of waqf and the selection of material resources through which those purposes were pursued.
Results
The waqf deeds show that the women under study endowed a diverse range of assets, including agricultural land, residential properties, gardens, rural properties, shares in jointly owned properties, and shops. In several cases, the deeds also provide information about the basis of ownership, indicating that some endowed properties were privately owned or inherited by the female endowers. The documents therefore provide evidence of women’s property ownership and their use of personal or inherited assets to establish waqf endowments.
A comparison of the two cities reveals a distinct difference in the composition of raqabat. In Amol, agricultural land, gardens, trees, and residential properties constitute the principal categories of endowed property. In Babol, by contrast, agricultural properties appear alongside shops and other commercial premises. One of the Babol deeds, for example, concerns the endowment of an entire dyeing shop. This difference can be examined in relation to the economic structures and patterns of property ownership in the two local settings. The composition of the endowed properties appears to have been associated with the types of assets available to the women rather than with fundamentally different religious purposes.
The purposes recorded in the deeds display considerably greater similarity. All seven documents, either explicitly or implicitly, provide for mourning ceremonies commemorating Imam Husayn, taʿziyeh performances, rowzeh-khani, or the provision of food for mourners. Only the waqf deed of Karbalāʾiyya Kulthum combines such religious purposes with provisions for the poor, a mosque, a bridge, and other religious or public uses. Within the documentary corpus examined here, this deed is therefore exceptional. The dominant pattern was the allocation of waqf revenues to support and sustain religious observances associated with the commemoration of Imam Husayn.
Discussion and Conclusion
The findings indicate that women’s waqf practices in Amol and Babol cannot be understood solely as acts of personal devotion or as economically motivated transactions. The predominance of purposes associated with mourning Imam Husayn and related religious observances points to the importance of religious values in decisions to establish waqf. At the same time, the selection of properties for endowment was closely connected to the assets available to the endowers and to the economic circumstances of their respective localities.
The principal distinction between Amol and Babol therefore lay not in the religious orientation of women’s waqf purposes but in the material resources through which those purposes were pursued. The prominence of agricultural land, gardens, and residential properties in the Amol deeds, together with the presence of shops alongside agricultural properties in Babol, suggests that differences in local economic structures and patterns of property ownership shaped the composition of the raqabat. Women in both cities appear to have pursued broadly similar religious objectives while drawing on different forms of property to provide continuing financial support for those objectives.
Viewed through Weber’s theory of social action, the findings suggest an interaction between the value-rational and instrumentally rational dimensions of waqf practices. The religious purposes expressed in the deeds reflected the values that gave meaning to the act of endowment, while the selection of particular properties provided the material means through which those purposes could be sustained. In this respect, waqf emerges from the documents as a form of religious and social participation through which women expressed their religious commitments by endowing property and establishing continuing sources of revenue. Within the limits of the seven deeds examined, women’s waqf practices thus reveal an intersection of religious values, property ownership, and local economic conditions during the First Pahlavi period

Abstract Drawing on archival documents from the National Library and Archives of Iran (Sakma), this study examines the mechanisms through which the physical education policies of the second Pahlavi regime were transmitted and implemented at the local level in Nishapur during the 1950s (1330s solar calendar). Its primary aim is to show how school-based physical education, inter-school competitions, equipment procurement, and royal sports festivals were transformed into instruments of national identity formation, social discipline, and the integration of a provincial city into the central state’s major domestic and international projects. The research is descriptive-analytical and grounded in historical documentary analysis. The data consist of circulars, competition programmes, correspondence of physical education associations, and administrative reports preserved in the Sakma collection (especially file 48366/297 and related series). These materials were analysed through qualitative content analysis within the conceptual framework of “sport policy” and “top-down modernity.” The documents reveal that from the early 1950s physical education ceased to be a marginal school activity and became a fully scheduled, gender-differentiated, equipment-dependent component of the central bureaucracy, closely linked to events such as the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Shortages of infrastructure and specialist personnel, together with the concentration of resources in Tehran, exposed a clear gap between central directives and local capacity. Royal sports festivals further turned the athlete’s body into a public stage for the display of political legitimacy. Physical education in 1950s Nishapur thus constitutes a clear instance of top-down modernity, in which school sport and the local athlete served the representation of national order and political legitimacy, yet structural constraints at the local level prevented the sustainable institutionalisation of mass sport. Given the limited range of available archival sources, future research is recommended to deepen the analysis by incorporating oral history, complementary written materials, and comparative examination of neighbouring districts in Khorasan.

Abstract The management of archival repositories and documents, serving as the core of documentary heritage preservation, is directly linked to the level of knowledge, skills, and competencies of human resources. To ensure the physical preservation of records and enhance service efficiency, every archival center requires the establishment of a robust framework of standards, regulations, and specialized principles in repository management. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach based on documentary research and the author’s professional lived experience, this study aims to examine the challenges facing archival repository management and propose actionable solutions, addressing the core question: What are the primary challenges of archival storage management, and how can their operational performance be improved? The findings reveal that archival repositories confront four fundamental categories of challenges: “structural, organizational, and regulatory,” “physical, environmental, and capacity-related,” “operational and workflow/record tracking,” and “managerial, preservation, and occupational health” barriers. Accordingly, practical recommendations are formulated across four corresponding axes: human resource development and specialized training, upgrading repository infrastructure and equipment, optimizing document workflows and processes, and reinforcing motivational and occupational support. Therefore, these proposed solutions can serve as an operational model for archival managers, specialists, and planners to facilitate structural decision-making and enhance repository performance.

Abstract Mashhad is one of the historical cities of Iran, formed based on the existence of a holy place. Several written documents have described Mashhad, but so far, no study can be found that has described the boundaries and structure of its historical neighborhoods. Applying a descriptive-analytical method, this applied research explored a document from Golestan Palace as a case. It tried to answer the question: How was the morphology of Mashhad’s historical neighborhoods in the Qajar period, based on Colonel Julius Delmage’s map? The results showed that the administration system of Mashhad was based on six major neighborhoods. Every neighborhood, based on spatial features and residents, had different structures and different service pilgrimage spaces. All of these have been formed based on their accessibility to the central pilgrimage space of Mashhad and its gates. The formation of most caravanserais in the Paein Khiaban, Sarshour, and Noghan neighborhoods indicates more pilgrimages in them. Moreover, most of urban service spaces and guard places had been located in Sarab neighborhood, indicating that this neighborhood was the resident of the nobles. Eidgah neighborhood is considered the most religious neighborhood of Mashhad as it embraces more mosques and tekyehs, while the central part of the city and Sarab and Noghan neighborhoods are more famous for education.

Abstract Mashhad as the capital of Afsharid dynasty and holding the holy shrine of Imam Reza, experienced many ups and downs over Afsharid period. All trustees of Astan Quds were of Sadat Razavi and Hosseini families, but their power and authority diminished over time, as the dominant power of the Afsharid dynasty was settled in Mashhad and the kings could control and interfere more easily with different matters of Astan Quds Razavi. Nader Shah and his successors usually made decisions for the trustees on the way of managing Astan Quds, on the way of its cooperation with other organizations and government agents, and on other significant issues. The trustees’ activities and power were limited and the number of employees was reduced in this period. Holding Shias’ specific religious and ritual ceremonies like those common in the Safavid era became more confined. The religious ceremonies of Muslims, especially Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Iranians’ national celebration (i.e., Eid Nowruz) were hold magnificently. Nader Shah specifically emphasized on building and developing religious places, maintained his relationship with Shia scholars and employed them in managing the administrative organization of the Holy Shrine and Jame’ Mosques. This study tried to explore Nader’s religious policies and behavior using the mentioned issues and the survived documents from the period.

Abstract Titles are of the main yet under-researched issues in Qajar era. This study aimed to investigate the titles in Astan Quds Razavi and their relationship with seals in the organization in the Qajar era. Discussing such issues as the history of titles in Iran and Astan Quds Razavi in Qajar era, this study explored the relationship between titles and family seals, personal seals, and jobs and the reasons and ways the titles were produced. This study tried to fill the gap regarding the titles and their relationships with the seals and their functions in administrative parts. The results showed that following the formation and proliferation of some titles in the Qajar era, various titles began to be used in the administrative organizations of Astan Quds Razavi. The survived titles can be categorized into hereditary and non-hereditary under family, personal, and job titles. Titles are issued by the king, custodian and governor of Khorasan and their holders were bestowed, given the requested title, the occupational and financial prestige. Seemingly, there has been a direct relationship between the seal and the titles in Qajar era. Many of the title holders added the title to their seals as a criterion.

Abstract The genealogy of old families and examining their social activities indicate that certain professions have been hereditary and continued for many generations, so that the occupations would be considered part of their historical identity. Examining the history of influential families of Mashhad shows that hereditary professions, even artistic or religious ones, continued for several generations in some families associated with the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS). Regarding medicine, some member of old families have been well-known to the people of Mashhad for several generations as physicians. The Shamlu family is considered one of the old families of Mashhad, whose genealogy indicates the presence of physicians for three generations (i.e., from Mirza Gholam Ali Sadr al-Ateba’ to his descendants). This study sought is to explore the history of the Shamlu family and the continuation of the medical profession within this family. Therefore, through examining family documents and oral history, this study dealt with two fundamental questions about the history of this family, medical narratives, and family heritage.

Abstract Among the few endowment deeds of Astan Quds Razavi survived from the Timurid period is a copy of endowment deed belong to Khajeh Jalal al-Din Ahmad Estarabadi. According to the document that has been recorded in a literary-historical collection of the nine and early 10^th century (AH), the holder endowed a Tekyeh and a Bath in Estarabad to the lightening of Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (as) and helping the poor Muslims. The results showed that the endower and the trustees was among the Shiite authorities and Sadats of Estarabad in the Timurid and early Safavid periods. Moreover, the results showed that Estarabad was one of the most significant Shiite centers in the period, and some prominent scholars of the region served in the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (as). The properties specified by the endowment have become part of the neighborhoods of Estarabad following the expansion of this city in later periods. Moreover, due to the expansion of the Holy Shrine and the increase of pilgrims, an increasing need of the Holy Shrine has been providing lighting and supporting pilgrims.

Abstract Mashhad gained the interest of Merchants of other cities in Qajar period due to its geographical and economic status. Some of the merchants greatly impacted the investment in this city. Some of the merchants tended to holding lands and aqueducts despite their business as a merchant. Moreover, some of them invested in urban aqueducts. This research sought to explore the causes and challenges of Merchants in investing in the aqueducts of Mashhad, and also to see who invested, when and in what aqueducts they invested. The results showed that due to the economic value of water in Mashhad, merchants invested in urban aqueducts from the late Qajar period. Haj Abd al-Rahim Saraf, Mashhadi Abdollah Tajerbashi, Ali Darrodi, Haji Agha Nabavian, and Haji Mahmoud Herati were the most prominent investors who invested in such urban aqueducts as Golkhatmi, Ab-Mirza, Goharshad Mosque, Salsabil, Ab-Manba’, and Darwish Beig. Such issues as drought in Mashhad after 1946, the replacement of deep wells and the need for using clean water decreased the business of holding aqueducts and reduced investment in this field. So, most of the owners sold their shares to Astan Quds Razavi. Taking a descriptive-analytical method, this study relied on the documents of Astan Quds Razavi and Khorasan periodicals.

Abstract The territorial disputes with neighboring countries and internal insecurities in the Qajar period made it necessary to implement governmental reforms in the army structure. Taking an analytical approach, focusing on archives, and relying on documents of Astan Quds Razavi over 1268-1292 AH, this study tried to examine the organizational structure of the Qajar army. This study intended to see how the organizational structure of the Qajar army was and what the position of arsenal section (Qourkhaneh) was in this structure. Reviewing the related literature showed lack of conducting studies on this issue. The results showed that the Iranian army during this period, despite its inefficiencies, featured with a cohesive system divided into four sections: cavalry, infantry, artillery, and the arsenal. This structure was part of a higher hierarchical structure that embraced Qajar Khans, royal and provincial servant cavalry, military corps (including adjutants and pioneers), soldier corps (including infantry soldiers), and extra-military corps (including small local cavalry and infantry units). In this structure, the arsenal came under the pioneers section and was responsible for fabricating and repairing weapons as well as providing the necessities. The section was composed of the people of two sub-sections: officials and manufacturers, whose salaries and wages were paid through drafts.

Abstract This research tried to investigate the initiatives and activities of Rahim Khan Chalabianlou, one of the Khans and heads of tribes in Azerbaijan, in misleading the goals of the constitutional revolution and constitutionalists in Azerbaijan area. Moreover, the study delt with the important issue of the role of Russians in fueling the movements. The research hypothesis is that Russians influenced Rahim Khan’s initiatives and movements to mislead the constitutional revolution and to interference in Azerbaijan region. They sometimes overtly showed their cooperation and sometimes they covertly cooperated. Rahim Khan's initiatives like suppressing the revolution of people of Tabriz and making insecure the Azerbaijan region through attacking the telegraph office and cutting the telegraph wires, robbing the postal packages sent from Europe, attacking Ardabil, and conquering the city paved the way for Russia's interference in Iran’s affairs, especially the northern Iran that they assumed their influence area competing with the British government. The study used a descriptive-analytical method and focused on documents and library resources. The results showed that among the initiatives of Rahim Khan were leading Chalabianlou Tribe in attacking Tabriz in the constitutional period, killing Azerbaijani constitutionalists, and making insecure the trading routes of the region. Alongside the attacks, the tsar Russian government supported covertly Rahim Khan’s initiatives and activities.