History Of Modern Iran, Who's Who

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Ahmad Shah

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(1896-1926) The last Qajar monarch. Ascended throne in 1909 while a minor. Left the country soon after the coup in 1921. He died in Paris buried in Karbala

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Ahmadinejad, Mahmud

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(1956- ) The conservative president elected in 2005. Son of a blacksmith and veteran of the Iraqi war, campaigned on popular themes. Promised to distribute oil wealth to the people, revive revolutionary ideals of Khomeini. Supported by conservative ulama.

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Alam, Assadallah

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(1919-78) Main confidant of Muhammad Reza Shah. Member of the "Lords of the Marches" joined court in 1946. Died at the beginning of the revolution.

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Al-E Ahmad, Jalal

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(1923-69) Initiator of back to roots movement. Began his career as a Marxist in Tudeh Party. Wrote Gharbzadegi which means "struck by the West" praised by Khomeini.

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Arani, Taqi

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(1902-1940) The father of Marxism in Iran. Educated in Germany. Launched Donya "The World" Sentenced to ten years in prison for advocating socialism and atheism, died in prison.

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Ashraf, Princess

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(1919- ) The shah's twin sister. A forceful personality, she played an important role behind the scenes and helped many young Western-educated technocrats attain wealth and high office. Some feel that she epitomized the worst features of the regime. Others claim this is a misogynist's view.

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Bahar, Muhammad Taqi

(Malek Al-Shu'ara)

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(1885-1952) Poet laureate of classical Persian literature. Began his political life as an active member of the constitutional movement and died as the president of the pro-Tudeh Peace Partisans. Also wrote Short History of Political Parties in Iran.

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Bani-Sadr, Sayyed Abul-Hassan

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(1933- ) Iran's first president. Son of an ayatollah who had supported the 1953 coup, however, he sided with Mossadeq and spent much of his adult life in Paris active in the National Front and the Liberation Movement. He returned with Khomeini in 1979 and briefly served as his president before accusing the clergy of scheming to establish a dictatorship of the mullahtariat. He had to escape back to Paris.

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Bazargan, Mehdi

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(1907-95) Khomeini's first prime minister. A deputy minister under Mosssadeq, he was much more religious than most of his National Front colleagues. 1961 founded the Liberation Movement, committed to the ideals of Iranian nationalism, Western Liberalism, and Shi'i Islam. Resigned to protest students taking over the US embassy in 79'

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Behbehani, Sayyed Abdallah

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(1844-1910) One of the two ayatollahs prominent in the Constitutional Revolution. In the fights between secular Democrats and the religious Moderates, he was assassinated. His son Ayatollah Muhammad Behbehani, actively supported the 53' coup.

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Bouroujerdi, Ayatollah Aqa Hajj Aqa Hussein Tabatabai

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(1875-1961) The last paramount Shi'i leader. After a long seminary career in Najah and Bouroujerd, in 1944 he moved to Qom where he soon gained the reputation of being the supreme marja-e taqled. Although he frowned on clerics participating in politics, he turned a blind eye to those who helped the 53' coup. His death prompted the shah to launch the White Revolution.

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Bozorg, Alavi

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(1904-1995) A leading figure in modern Persian literature, Educated in Germany, returned in the 30's and co-edited Donya, was imprisoned for belonging to Arani's circle, released in 41' and helped found the Tudeh Party. Prison memoir The Fifty-Three. Influenced by Kafka, Freud, Marx and Hemmingway

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Curzon, Lord George

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(1859-1925) British foreign minister so enamored of Iran theat he tried to incorporate it into the empire. Traveled to Iran as grad student and published Persia and the Persian Question. Anglo-Persian Agreement of 1919 created a nationalist backlash in Iran.

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Dehkhoda, Ali Akbar

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(1879-1956) A leading intellectual in modern Iran. A biting satirist during the Constitutional Revolution, he aroused much opposition, esp. from the clergy and the landed class. Withdrew from politics and devoted his life to compiling his famous Loqatnameh. In August 53' when the shah fled the country, some nationalists offered him the presidency of their prospective republic.

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Ebadi, Shiren

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(1947- ) Iran's sole Nobel Prize Winner, A young judge in the last years of the old regime, she, together with all women was purged from the judiciary. She opened her won law firm specializing in human rights. Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.

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Farmanfarma, Firuz

(Nowsrat Al-Dowleh)

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(1889-1937) Prominent notable. A scion of the famous Farmanfarma family and descendant of Fath Ali Shah, he headed numerous ministries after WW I and was one of the triumvirate that helped Reza Shah est. a strong centralized state. The latter eventually imprisoned and then murdered him. In prison he translated Oscar Wilde's De Profundis

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Fatemi, Sayyed Hussein

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(1919-54) Mossadeq's right hand man executed by the shah. A French-educated journalist, he was a vocal and early supporter of the campaign to nationalize the oil industry. He served Mossadeq in a number of capacities, incl. foreign minister. After the coup, he was arrested and executed for "insulting the royal family" and plotting to est. a republic. He is regarded as a hero of the nationalist movement. He is one of the few National Front leaders to have a street named after him by the Islamic Republic.

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Fazlollah Nuri, Sheikh

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(1843-1909) Leading cleric opposed to the Constitutional Revolution. A prominent theologian in Tehran, he initially supported attempts to limit royal power, but, growing fearful of the secularists, ended up siding with the royalists. He issued fatwas accusing refromers of being secret Babis, atheists, and freethinkers. Some were killed and executed in the Civil War. After the war he was hanged for issuing such lethal fatwas. The modern Islamist movement regards him as one of their very first "martyrs."

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Hoveida, Abbas

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(1919-79) The shah's longest lasting premier. A career public servant, he was raised in a Bahai family - although he himself was not a practicing Bahai - and was appointed premier in 1965, when his patron, the previous premier, was assassinated by religious fanatics. He remained in that post until 1977, when the shah, in an attempt to mollify the opposition, first dismissed him and then had him arrested. He was one of the first to be executed by the revolutionary regime.

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Iskandari, Mirza Sulayman

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(1862-1944) Qajar prince prominent in the socialist movement. Opponent of royal despotism, he participated in the Constitutional Revolution - his elder brother fell victim to the Civil War; helped lead the Democrat Party, 1909-1921; was imprisoned by the British in WW I headed the Socialist Party in 1921-1926; and returned to politics in 1941 to chair the Tudeh Party.

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Kasravi, Sayyed Ahmad

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(1890-1946) Leading historian of modern Iran, esp. of the Constitutional Revolution. A staunch advocate of national solidarity, he persistently denounced all forms of communalism and sectarianism, incl. Shi'ism. His most controversial work is Shi'igari (Shi'i-Mongering). Denounced as an unbeliever, he was assassinated. Khomeini, however, continued to keep on his shelves Kasravi's History of the Iranian Constitution.

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Khamenei, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali

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(1939- ) Khomeini's successor as Supreme Leader. From a minor clerical family in Azerbaijan, he studied theology first in Mashed and then in Qom with Khomeini. He did not attain prominence until after the revolution when he held a series of high positions incl. briefly the presidency. Immediately after Khomeini's death the regime elevated him to the rank of ayatollah.

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Khatemi, Hojjat Al-Islam Sayyed Muhammad

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(1944- ) Liberal president. Son of an ayatollah who was a close friend of Khomeini, Khatemi studied theology in Qom and philosophy in Isfahan University, in the process learning some English and German. At the beginning of the revolution, he was administering the Shi'i mosque in Hamburg. After the revolution he headed the gov. publishing house, sat in the Majles, and as culture minister aroused conservative anger by relaxing the censorship on books and films. Resigning from the ministry, he headed the national library and taught political philosophy at Tehran University. Running on a reform platform, he won the presidency twice- in 1997 and 2001 with landslide victories.

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Khomeini, Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah

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(1902-1989) Charismatic leader of the Islamic Revolution. Born into a clerical family, he spent his early life in seminaries in Qom and Najaf. He entered politics in 1963, when he denounced the shah for granting capitulations to American military advisors. Deported, he spent the next 16 yrs. in Najaf developing a new interpretation of Shi'i Islam. He drastically expanded the traditional Shi'i concept of velayat-e faqeh from clerical jurisdiction over orphans, widows, and the mentally feeble to clerical supervision over all citizens. He also combined clerical conservatism with radical populism. Returning triumphant in 1979 he was hailed by the new constitution as Commander of the Revolution, Founder of the Islamic Republic, Supreme Leader and Imam of the Muslim World- at title Shi'is in the past had reserved for the Twelve Sacred Infallible Imams.

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Modarres, Sayyed Hassan

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(1870-1917) The main ayatollah opposed to Reza Shah. A member of the Majles since 1914, he was known chiefly as a parliamentary politician. He participated in the national gov that opposed the Allies in 1914-18, was a vocal opponent of the 1919 Anglo-Iranian Agreement, and tried to stem the rise of Reza Shah. Banished to the provinces he was eventually murdered, Modern Islamists view him as one of their forerunners

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Mossadeq, Muhammad

(Mossadeq Al-Saltaneh)

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(1881-1967) The icon of Iranian nationalism. From a long line of notables, he studied in Europe and had a successful career in gov. service until forced into retirement by Reza Shah. Returning to politics in 1941 he gained fame first as an "incorruptible" deputy and then as leader of the National Front campaigning for the nationalization of the British owned oil co. Elected prime minister in 1951 he promptly nationalized the oil industry and thus sparked off a major international crisis with Britain. He was overthrown by the military coup organized by the CIA in Aug. 53. Islamists distrusted him because of his deep commitment to secular nationalism.

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Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

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(1919-1980) Monarch overthrown by the Islamic Revolution. He was raised by his father to be first and foremost commander in chief of the army. Ascending to the throne in 1941 he successfully warded off generals and notables who tried to gain control of the armed forces. Consolidating power after the 53 CIA coup, he ruled much like his father, using oil revenues to expand the state as well as the army. He died soon after the revolution from cancer which he had kept secret even from his family. He has been described as a "majestic failure"

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Navab-Safavi, Sayyed Mojtaba Mir-Lowhi

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(1922-1956) Founder of the Fedayan-e Islam one fo the first truly fundamentalist orgs in Iran. The group carried out numerous assassinations between 1944-52. It also made an attempt on Mossadeq's main advisor and plotted to kill Mossadeq himself. It denied having taken part in the 53 coup. Safavi was executed in 1956 after an assassination attempt on the prime minister. The far rightists among Khomeini's followers deem Safavi as one of their forerunners.

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Qavam, Ahmad

(Qavam Al-Saltaneh)

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(1877-1955) Most notable of the notables. A court supporter of the 1906 revolution- the royal proclamation granting the country a constitution is reputed to have been written by him. He had little regard for Reza Shah. Some credit him-rather than Truman-with keeping Iran intact by persuading Stalin to withdraw the Red Army from Azerbaijan. He died with his reputation tarnished since in 1952 he offered to replace Mossadeq as prime minister.

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Rafsanjani, Hojjat Al-Islam Ali-Akbar Hasmemi

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(1934- ) Reputed to be the eminence grise of the Islamic Republic. Born into a prosperous agricultural family, he studied with Khomeini in Qom and was in and out of prison during the 60's He wrote a book in praise of a 19th C minister who had tried to industrialize the country. After the revolution, he occupied numerous high positions including the presidency and the chairmanship of the Expediency Council. He is considered to be the most important person after the Supreme Leader.

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Reza Shah Pahlavi

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(1878-1944) Founder of Iran's centralized state. Born into a military family, he rose through the ranks to the Cossack Brigade- the country's main fighting force at the time. He led a military coup in 1921 and five years later crowned himself shah, replacing the Qajar dynasty with his own Pahlavi family. He ruled with an iron fist until 1941 when the British and Soviet armies invaded and forced him to abdicate. He died three years later in South Africa. He left his son the crown and a fortune.

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Sardar As'ad Bakhtiyari, Jafar Quli Khan

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(1882-1934) Crucial figure in the Civil War. He and fellow Bakhtiyari chiefs led tribal contingents into Tehran, providing the constitutionalists with a decisive victory. They turned some of the ministries into family fiefdoms until ousted by Reza Shah. Sardar As'ad was murdered in prison.

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Sayyed Ziya (Al-Din Tabatabai)

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(1889-1969) Pro-British politician closely associated with the 1921 coup. An openly pro-British journalist, he was appointed prime minister by Reza Khan in 1921 only to be ousted a few months later. Returning to Iran in WW II after twenty years in exile, he made numerous attempts to become prime minister again-often with British support but invariably with Soviet and American opposition. He had regular private audiences with the shah until his death.

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Sepahdar, Muhammad Vali Khan

(Sepahsalar Al-Az'am)

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(1847-1926) Crucial figure in the Civil War. A major landlord in Mazanderan and the nominal commander of the royal army, he defected to the constitutionalists and thus helped seal the fate of the monarchists. He headed 8 different cabinets between 1910-1919. In anticipation of being incarcerated by Reza Shah he committed suicide.

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Shariati, Ali

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(1933-1977) Considered the "real ideologue" of the Islamic Revolution. Studying in France in the 60's he was strongly influenced by theorists of Third World revolutions-esp. by Franz Fanon. His prolific lectures aimed to transform Shi'ism from a conservative apolitical religion into a highly revolutionary political ideology competing with Leninism and Maoism. His writings influenced many of the activists who took part in the revolution. He died in exile on the eve of the revolution.

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Tabatabai, Sayyed Muhammad Sadeq

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(1841-1918) One of the two ayatollahs prominent in the Constitutional Revolution. A secret freemason, he played a leading role throughout the revolution and had to flee the country after the 1909 coup. His son became a major powerbroker in the Majles in the 40's.

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Taleqani, Ayatollah Sayyed Mahmud

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(1919-1979) The most popular cleric in Tehran during the revolution. A consistent supporter of Mossadeq and a founding member of the Liberation Movement, Taleqani enjoyed good rapport with all segments of the opposition - the National Front, the Mojahedin, and even Marxist groups. He organized the mass rallies of 1978. If he had not died soon after the revolution, he might have provided a liberal counterweight to Khomeini.

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Taqizadeh, Sayyed Hassan

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(1874-1970) A leading intellectual politician of the Constitutional Revolution. As a firebrand deputy in the First Majles, he spoke on behalf of the Democrat Party and aroused the wrath of the conservative ulama who issued fatwas against him. He lived in exile from 1909-1924, returning home to take up a ministerial position under Reza Shah. He also served as a senator under Muhammad Reza Shah. Some see him as typifying the generation of young radicals coopted into the Pahlavi regime.

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Vossuq, Mirza Hassan Khan

(Vossuq Al-Dowleh)

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(1865-1951) Signatory to the notorious Anglo-Iranian Agreement of 1919. A prominent notable, he served in numerous administrations between 1909-1926. He was Qavam's older brother.

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Yeprem Khan

(Davitian)

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(1868-1912) Leader of the Caucasian fighters in the Civil War. Member of the Armenian nationalist Dashnak Party in Russia, he had been sent to Siberia from where he escaped to Iran. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he led volunteers from the Caucasus fighting on behalf of the constitutionalists under the slogan "The Love of Freedom has No Fatherland" Immediately after the Civil War, he was appointed police chief of Tehran and was killed fighting insurgents.

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Zahedi, General Fazlollah

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(1897-1963) Nominal head of the 1953 CIA coup. A career officer from the Cossack Brigade, he was in and out of favor with both Reza Shah and Muhammad Reza Shah. He was imprisoned by the British in 1942 for having contacts with the Third Reich. Appointed prime minister in 1953 he was eased out by the shah in 1955. He moved into exile and died in luxury in Switzerland.