Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD in History, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Visiting Lecturer, Hakim Sabzevari University
2
PhD in History, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Visiting Lecturer, Hakim Sabzevari University.
3
MA of Science in Iranian History, Islamic Period, Ferdowsi University
10.30481/psa.2026.574399.1116
Abstract
Abstract
The emergence and expansion of the electric power industry, as one of the principal driving forces behind urban modernization, paved the way for the replacement of traditional lighting methods in the city of Sabzevar. The present study employs the historical method and draws upon newly discovered archival documents to examine the process through which the electric power industry was introduced, established, and expanded in the city. The findings indicate that this transformation began in 1928 (1307 SH) through the initiative of Mohammad Sorkhosh-Nia. Subsequently, the efforts of Haj Mohammad Hossein Dowlatabadi and Hossein Ghani in expanding generating capacity and extending the electricity distribution network played a significant role in consolidating and developing the electric power industry. Ultimately, with the establishment of the Sabzevar Regional Electricity Company, scattered individual initiatives were replaced by a centralized and institutionalized system of management. This transformation laid the foundations for the sustainable expansion of the urban electricity network and significantly increased public access to electric power.
Introduction
Sabzevar, as one of the strategic centers located along the Silk Road and one of the principal commercial hubs of Khorasan, has long maintained a pioneering position in the adoption of modern technologies. The introduction of electric power into the city represented not merely a technological innovation but also a turning point in the transformation of its social and economic structures, as well as its system of urban administration. Prior to the establishment of the electric power industry, Sabzevar's urban lighting system relied on traditional lighting devices, including kerosene lamps, oil lanterns, and candles, which were fueled by oil and mazut. Even the efforts undertaken by the private sector in 1930 (1309 SH) to import and sell mantle lamps on an installment basis reflected the growing public demand for higher-quality lighting prior to the establishment and expansion of the urban electricity network.
Despite the significance of this technological transition, existing studies on the local history of Sabzevar, including the works of Bayhaqi, Amin, Seyadati, and Motavalli-Haghighi, as well as specialized studies on the electric power industry in Khorasan, particularly those conducted by Soaloni and his colleagues, have largely been limited to scattered references and lack a structural analysis of the relationship between the development of electric power infrastructure and the city's economic and social transformation. Furthermore, most existing accounts date the establishment of Sabzevar's first power plant to the period between 1930 and 1932 (1309–1311 SH). However, evidence published in contemporary newspapers, particularly Azadi during 1927 and 1928 (1306–1307 SH), indicates that the Municipality of Sabzevar had already initiated efforts to replace the traditional oil-based lighting system with electric lighting. These discrepancies between the prevailing historical narrative and documentary evidence form the basis of the present study and underscore the need for a reassessment of the origins and early development of electrification in Sabzevar.
Accordingly, the gap between the prevailing historical narrative and the available documentary evidence gives rise to the central research question of the present study: How did the transition from the traditional lighting system to an urban electric power system in Sabzevar take place, and what role did local actors play in managing and directing this structural transformation during the period from 1928 to 1978 (1307–1357 SH)?
Research Method
The present study employs the historical method and an analytical approach, drawing upon primary sources and newly discovered archival documents. In order to construct a documented account that extends beyond oral narratives, the study utilizes a diverse collection of archival records and specialized repositories covering the period from 1941 to 1977 (1320–1356 SH). The documentary foundation of this research was established through the collection, examination, and analysis of archival materials preserved in the National Library and Archives of Iran, the Sabzevar Municipality Archives, the Sabzevar City Museum, and, in particular, the specialized archives of institutions associated with the electric power sector, including the Sabzevar Electricity Company Archives and the Sabzevar Electric Power and Industries Joint Stock Company. The documentary corpus comprises a wide variety of materials, including official and personal correspondence, the legal statutes of former electricity companies (notably the Dowlatabadi Lighting Company), and financial records, such as electricity bills.
n this study, documentary content analysis has been employed to reconstruct the process through which the management of the electric power industry evolved from a traditional system to an institutionalized form of administration. The identification, collection, and analysis of these newly discovered archival materials extend beyond the presentation of a descriptive account; rather, they seek to address existing gaps in the economic and social historiography of the Pahlavi Period by providing a structural analysis of the relationship between technical infrastructure and transformations in urban governance. Furthermore, the use of documentary evidence drawn from multiple institutions, together with the cross-examination of their records, substantially enhances the credibility of the research findings and provides a well-documented, coherent, and relatively comprehensive account of the emergence and development of the electric power industry in Sabzevar.
Conclusion
The analysis of the development trajectory of the electric power industry in Sabzevar (1928–1979) demonstrates that this process extended beyond a mere technical transformation and reflected a complex transition from traditional structures to modern patterns during the Pahlavi era. The findings of the study explain this transformation at three analytical levels:
First, from an economic perspective, the development of the electric power industry began with a model based on “individual initiative and merchants’ risk-taking.” The transition from the importation of electrical equipment by pioneers such as Mohammad Sorkhosh-Nia and Dowlatabadi to the establishment of the “Sabzevar Electric Power and Industries Joint Stock Company” in 1947 (1326 SH) indicates the maturation of local investment and the shift from scattered individual activities toward the institutionalization of industrial enterprises.
Second, from a social perspective, the process of electrification reflected the class divisions within society. The existence of a dual system of electricity distribution—distinguishing between meter-based consumption for affluent households and flame-based lighting for lower-income groups—indicates that electric power technology was initially adopted primarily by the commercial sector and the more affluent strata of society before gradually extending to other social groups and urban areas.
Finally, from a structural perspective, the development of the electric power industry in Sabzevar resulted from the interaction between private investment and the facilitating role of public institutions, particularly the Municipality and the Governorate. The management of the industry, which initially emerged through the initiative of local merchants and under local administration, gradually shifted toward state control and the concentration of authority within regional institutions in response to expanding national policies and administrative requirements. Overall, the development of the electric power industry in Sabzevar represents a notable example of the process of urban modernization in Iran's second-tier cities, where the combination of entrepreneurial initiatives by development-oriented merchants and the support of administrative institutions laid the foundation for urban infrastructure development and broader urban transformation.
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