At the end of the British-Soviet occupation of Iran in 1945, the Tudeh Party emerged as a prominent political entity. In a relatively short period, its members had risen from obscurity to become members of parliament, cabinet ministers, and trade union leaders. While the war against fascism waged, the British saw the Tudeh as a […]
This talk explores the response of British academia to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Crisis of 1951-54, focusing on the contribution of the Edinburgh University scholar L.P. Elwell-Sutton. Much has been written about the British scholars, such as Ann Lambton and Robert Zaehner, who were indifferent to the Iranian cause and even helped the British government devise […]
The artistic patronage of the second Qajar ruler Fath Ali Shah (r. 1797-1834) is well known. Less studied is his patronage of the major shrines within his lands, in Qom, Mashhad and Iraq. This included the building of new courtyards, the gilding of domes and iwans, and the gifting of doors inlaid with rubies and […]
David Chaffetz in his book traces the role of horses in empire building from the Danube to the Yellow River, from their early domestication in pre-history up to a bozkashi match in Kabul in 1973. His view is that, given the constant trading in horses for military or banditry purposes between Iran, Central Asia, […]
