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

188 Ali Gheissarimoments of expressed pity and commizeration – for example, when he describestheir suffering as a result of war, famine, other hardships, or sickness. Forhappier occasions he often uses common, but no more descriptive, idioms suchas “khosh-qadam” (carrier of good fortune) in reference to female relatives. 33There is also little mention of the process through which family membersmarried, except the fact that almost all sisters were married to merchants,and still less on specifics of life at home. 34 On these issues there is a guardedsilence. For him, talking about women of the family or issues of domesticlife were not among topics one would normally write about – i.e. write aboutfor an audience. Several years after the completion of the Memoirs the textwas shown to a cleric who wrote a brief Preface (Taghriz, lit. praise) to thenotebook, thus giving it his blessing and religious approval – perhaps a furtherindication both of the concern with meeting the standards of religiouspiety as well as the intention to share the Memoirs with an audience. 35 HajjMohammad-Taqi first married in 1891. Some years after the death of hisfirst wife, Belqeis (daughter of Mirza Esmail Jourabchian-Haqqi), 36 in Dhul-Hijja 1325/January 1908 Hajj Mohammad-Taqi married Alaviyeh Tabatabai,the daughter of “Hajji Mirza Ali Aqa Mojtahed Tabrizi Tabatabai.” 37 Weare also informed that his brother-in-law, Mirza Mohammad-Taqi (theeldest son of Mirza Ali Mojtahed), was the leader of the constitutionalistsociety (Anjoman) of Tabirz. 38The author’s reference to his brothers is more extensive and is mainlybusiness-oriented. Brothers are good if they are reliable and adept at business.At times their personal characteristics are alluded to – for example,Mashhadi Naqi was “well-built” and “cooperative in all affairs;” 39 Karbalai(Mohammad-) Baqer was “difficult” and in his recurrent clashes with peoplehad no hesitation in resorting to verbal abuse, but then he is praised for histenacity in business, such as going repeatedly to the Governor’s housebefore finally managing to collect a small debt; 40 or Mashhadi Shafi’, whohad little interest in his studies at school but is praised for being a “cheerfulfellow” and a go-getter. 41 Hajj Reza is admired for his ambitions in lookingbeyond Tabriz or Rasht for business pursuits, and for his literary talentsand overall style. 42 Occasions like this reveal further clues to the author’smentality – he values family, good education, refined manners, vision, andbusiness success. However, the allusion to the last brother is not indicativeof the existence of any tradition of literary pursuit in the family, or that theJourabchi brothers were educated beyond the basic level provided at traditionalelementary schools (maktabs). Hajj Mohammad-Taqi does not discusseducation – the nature of which was the subject of constitutionalist debates– except on occasions when members of the family, either by choice or outof necessity, abandoned school at a young age, and moved to the bazaar.There is no mention of his own choice of literary reading beside the religioustexts. 43 There is also no indication of his support of the new modernizingeducational curricula; nor is there any reference to whether he sent hisown children to particular types of schools. Furthermore, in the few available