A HISTORY OF MODERN IRAN - Stoa

The iron fist of Reza Shah 83
4.7 Carving at Naqsh-e Rostam: Shahpour
accepting Emperor Valerian’s submission
language that had evolved into modern Persian. He forced a family that was
already using that name to relinquish it. He also forced his own children
from previous marriages – one to a Qajar – to find themselves other
surnames. In mandating names, he abolished aristocratic titles. Many
notables shortened their names. For example, Vossuq al-Dowleh became
simply Hassan Vossuq; his brother, Ahmad Qavam al-Saltaneh, became
Ahmad Qavam; and Firuz Mirza Farmanfarma (Nowsrat al-Dowleh)
became Firuz Farmanfarma. Ordinary citizens often adopted names that
reflected their occupational, regional, or tribal backgrounds. Reza Shah also
abolished the royal tradition of using bombastic designations and
announced that he would in future be addressed simply as His Imperial
Majesty.
In the same vein, Reza Shah implemented a series of measures to instill in
the citizenry a feeling of uniformity and common allegiance to himself and
his state. He introduced the metric system; a uniform system of weights
and measures; and a standard time for the whole country. He replaced
the Muslim lunar calendar with a solar one which started the year with the
March 21 equinox, the ancient Persian New Year. Thus 1343 (AD 1925) in the
Muslim lunar calendar became 1304 in the new Iranian solar calendar.
Muslim months were replaced with such Zoroastrian terms as Khordad,
Tir, Shahrivar, Mehr, and Azar. The standard time chosen was intentionally
half an hour different from neighboring time zones.
Reza Shah also implemented a new dress code. He outlawed tribal and
traditional clothes as well as the fez-like headgear that had been introduced
by the Qajars. All adult males, with the exception of state “registered”
clergymen, had to wear Western-style trousers and coat, as well as a frontrimmed
hat known as the “Pahlavi cap.” In the past, bare heads had been