War and Peace in Qajar Persia: Implications Past and ... - Oguzlar.az

Merchants without frontier 187and different languages, tribes, and nations sprang from such beginnings. 19Cities were built, agriculture expanded, and those who expressed theirtalents in different industries became dearer than others in people’s eyes. 20Hajj Mohammad-Taqi began to write the Memoirs in late Rabi’ I 1327 ah/April1909. 21 Therefore, the first half of the Memoirs was written after the outbreakof the Iranian civil war in Azerbaijan 22 and shortly before a major conflictin Tabriz (known as “Sham-Ghazan”) in April 1910, 23 and prior to the Russiandeployment of force in Azerbaijan. The second half was written in late 1911and early 1912, corresponding to the termination of the Iranian ConstitutionalRevolution and the large-scale entry of Russian forces into the northernIranian provinces of Azerbaijan, Gilan, and Khorasan. This second halfof the Memoirs begins with the narration of the events of July 1908 in Tabrizand the placing of white flags on the door tops of houses (indicating compliancewith the authority of the constitutional insurgency in the city), andends with the events of December 1911 and January 1912 in Rasht and Anzali,in the period marking the Russian occupation and the end of the ConstitutionalRevolution. 24The Memoirs can be approached in terms of three distinct, yet interrelatedanalytical domains – family, business, and society, around which the narrativeevolves.FamilyThe author, Hajj Mohammad-Taqi, was a merchant from Tabriz. His fatherHajj Hasan Jourabchi (b. 1255 ah/1839) 25 was also a merchant, as was hisfather Hajj Rasoul, as, in turn, was his father Hajj Abu al-Qasem (d. ca.1210 ah/1795) 26 – and so was, very likely, the latter’s father Ali Beyg – althoughthere is no mention of Ali Beyg in the Memoirs. 27 Hajj Mohammad-Taqi takescertain personal and professional pride in his paternal lineage, and simplytakes it for granted that he does what they did – tejarat (trade).Hajj Mohammad-Taqi was born in Tabriz on 13 Safar 1285 ah/5 June1868. 28 He was the eldest of five sisters and five brothers; all siblings were fromthe same mother and father. 29 References to his maternal line or female parentagein general are limited. His mother, Zahra (also referred to as Zahra Soltanand as Hajjiyeh Khanoum, born in 1263 ah/1846–1847, 30 and married to hisfather in 1284 ah/1867), 31 was the daughter of Mashhadi Hasan (d. 1277ah/1860) who was a baker. 32 His references to his siblings follow a similarabbreviated approach; although he is more informative and thorough abouthis brothers than he is about his sisters. Females are often referred to as daughtersof their fathers, and he customarily avoids referring to them by theirfirst names. They are only mentioned in passing, as shadows in the background,together with the children. At other times, they are mentioned in