Ahmad Bahar

Haj Sheikh Ahmad Bahar (1889 Mashad, Iran - 1957 Tehran, Iran) was an Iranian politician, a patriotic poet, prominent journalist, writer, publisher and farmer.

Literary career

He was one of the best students of late Sheikh Abdoljavad Adib Neishaboori in Mashad in the field of Persian and Arabic literature. He was a Journalist and started his own printing and publishing company in Mashad with a Heidelberg press purchased during an eventful trip to Europe. Along with his famous poet and politician cousin Mohammad-Taghi Bahar (aka Sabouri), later known as Malek o-sho'ara Bahar and he was editor of his cousin’s newspaper published in Mashad by his printing company called "Now Bahar" from 1915 to 1917. The printing company remains in existence and produces a high circulation daily newspaper "Khorasan" in the same premises and is also available via internet, reporting daily news for Iran's second largest metropolitan region.

Bahar is known as one of the masters of patriotic and political poetry utilizing Khorasani Dialect.

Political career

Bahar and his cousin were founder members of the Democratic Party of Khorasan and contributed to the development of democratic values and encouraged the public to learn about Iran's national interests.

He was owner and editor of the "Bahar" influential newspaper that was published in Mashad during first world war and in Tehran during 2nd world war. He was invited by Ahmad Ghavam Ghavomolsaltaneh the Prime Minister to join Government service in 1941 as a Special Secretary to Prime Minister, as well as Press Secretary at the office of Prime Minister.

He continued the job of Special Secretary to many Prime Ministers including Dr. Mohammed Mossadeq. In addition to his old position during Mossadegh’s Premiership and Nationalization of Oil Industry, he was promoted to be Chief of Staff of the Prime Ministerial Office too.

He was twice elected as member of parliament Majles from Mashad but on both occasions, the Imperial Court exercised its dictatorial power (i.e. Reza Shah and his Son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) and he was not allowed to serve. On occasion of the popular and religious rise of people of Khorasan in summer of 1935, Bahar was accused of collaboration with organizers of this demonstration in Gowhar Shad Mosque and shrine of Imam Reza in Mashad and jailed for two Years and then exiled from Mashad to Tehran. Nineteen members of the so-called Islamic Revolutionary Council of Iran in 1979 were also prosecuted for having a role in the popular riot of Gowharshad Mosque.

Personal life

Bahar was a fourth generation descendant of Erekle II who was part of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty. The Bahar family ancestry can thus be traced back over 1000 years.

Two of King Erekle's sons, who were also half brothers of King Erekle's Heir George XII of Georgia, Zorab and Alexander of Georgia were military leaders on behalf of the Persian Shah (King of Kings) Fat'h Ali Shah Qajar in the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) for continuation of Iranian rule in Georgia and eventually lost and were brought to Iran by Abbas Mirza (who was the Crown Prince and Commander of Iranian Forces in Georgia).

Abass Mirza asked King Fat'h Ali Shah to keep them honorably and give them jobs in the Imperial Court. Two brothers changed their names to Sohrab and Eskandar Mirza, and converted to Islam. Sohrab was appointed Court Cashier called Naghdi, and founded the Naghdi family surname in Iran. After a series of disappointments trying to regain the Georgian Kingdom. One of Eskandar Mirza Khan's children Afrasiab Khan converted to Islam and became a trader of stain glass products (from Russia) in the Tehran bazaar, and eventually moved to Mashad to be close to the Shrine of Imam Reza. Afrasiab Khan reportedly had a family and his oldest son was Haj Abbas Gholi, who then had nine children. Gholi's four sons were Haj sheikh Ali Asghar, Haj Sheikh Mohamad Kazem, Haj Sheikh Mohamad Ali (Moin-o-raia), Haj Sheikh Mohamad Javad (died suspiciously in Majlis as the representative for Mashad). Gholi's daughters included Sakineh Tehranian (Sabouri) who was Mohammad-Taghi Bahar's (aka. Malek-ol-shoara Bahar)Mother. Ahmad Bahar was the oldest son of Haj Sheikh Mohamad Kazem, and cousin of Mohammad-Taghi Bahar (aka. Makel-Ol-Shoara Bahar). They served together in government, and worked together in the Bahar Newspaper.

Because of his move from Tehran to Mashad his surname along with his immediate family and most of his relatives in Mashad changed to Tehranian or Tehrani (which means from Tehran).

Bahar carried this surname until Reza Shah decreed that all citizens must have a registered surname (not common at the time in Iran). So Sheikh Ahmad Tehrani or Tehranian chose the new surname of Bahar for the first time in Iran because of the good name of his newspaper; and he was also known as Sheikh Ahmad Bahar in many official circles. His cousin Mohammad-Taghi Bahar who family name was Sabouri, also used a pen name of "Bahar" and officially registered the surname of Bahar in Tehran because at that time Iranian law would only allow one surname of each type in each city.

Bahar had five sons and two daughters as follows: his first son, Habib Bahar, is a lawyer and was also a member of Iran's Majlis (Parliament) from Mashad. His 2nd son is Rashed Bahar, Agricultural Engineer and is now a Retired Officer for the World Health Organization. His 3rd Son Dr. Jalil Bahar is a retired Diplomat, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iran)). His 4th Son Mohammad Reza Bahar is a Retired Colonel of Traffic Police and served his last post as Chief of Metropolitan Traffic Police of Tehran. His 5th son is Dr. Kamal Bahar, a Pathologist and Immunologist (Tehran). His Daughters are Bahereh Bahar (Social Worker and retired Senior official of Tehran City Municipality), and Dr. Lili Bahar (Dentist in Tehran).

He died in Tehran at 1957 and buried in the Ebn-e Babveih graveyard close to graves of Dr. Hossein Fatemi, executed Foreign Minister of Dr. Mossadegh, and martyrs of the 30 Tir 1331 Riot (21 July 1952) against Shah and Ahmad Ghavam Ghavomolsaltaneh, the Prime Minister.

References

"Shenasnameh" (1990), (which means "Identity Card") A biography of Bahar’s Political life and his poems collected by his 3rd Son Jalil Bahar and Majid Tafreshi was printed in Tehran
Fisher, William Bayne (1991), The Cambridge History of Iran. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-20095-4.
Lang, David Marshall (1962), A Modern History of Georgia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
G. Bournoutian's biography of Prince Alexander of Georgia in Encyclopaedia Iranica.
E. Jassim's biography of Bahar in Encyclopaedia Iranica.

External links