Journal of Razavi Culture

A Comparative Study of Historical Accounts of the Cannonading of the Sacred Shrine of Imam Reza (P.B.U.H) (Including the Introduction of a Newly Discovered Manuscript on the Incident)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Abolfazl Hassanabady

Ph.D. in Local History, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran: ahassanabady1@yahoo.com

https://doi.org/10.22034/farzv.2024.469116.2022
Abstract
The bombing of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (P.B.U.H) by the Russians on the 10th of Rabi’ al-Thani, 1912, is considered a significant historical event in Mashhad. Known as the “Second Ashura,” the event was commemorated for a long time and poems were composed in its memory. In this regard, the current study sought to introduce and analyze the content of a newly discovered treatise concerning the bombing of Imam Reza’s shrine. To this end, the most reliable sources on this subject were identified and categorized into official sources, including documents, and unofficial sources, such as books and newspapers. Subsequently, to facilitate a comparative analysis of their content with the information in the treatise under discussion, the main topics were divided into several themes, including the types of financial and human damages, the method of attacking the shrine and the positioning of the cannons, the number of shells that hit the shrine and their locations. For each theme, the significance of the manuscript’s information was clarified in comparison to other sources. The codicological structure of the treatise and its informational value were also presented separately to further emphasize the importance of its content.
The analysis of the research findings reveals that this manuscript has remained unknown until now, and its information has not been utilized elsewhere. Based on the style and manner of the information presented, the author was closely involved in the event and endeavored to provide an accurate depiction while fairly addressing its various dimensions based on personal observation and available evidence and documents. Some of the manuscript’s information, such as the way the event commenced and the incidents leading to the shrine being shelled, is consistent with other sources. In specific cases, such as the individuals involved, financial and human losses, the arrangement of military forces, and the method of bombardment, the treatise possesses informational value, and the sections concerning figures like Yusef Khan Herati’s fate are unique.

Keywords

Bombardment
Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (P.B.U.H)
Mashhad
Astan Quds
Russia
Qajarid era
Subjects
Adib Heravi Khorasani, Muhammad-Hassan. (1947). Hadiqah al-Radhiya. Mashhad: Khorasan Printing House. [In Persian].
———. (1952). Enqelāb-e Tūs or The History of the Advent of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. Tehran: Elmi Publications. [In Persian].
Adib Heravi Khorasani, Muhammad-Hassan; Shahvazi, Sattar. (2009). Enqelāb-e Tūs; An Analysis of the Tzarist Army’s Assault on the Holy Shrine of Reza (P.B.U.H). Tehran: Institute for Contemporary Iranian History Studies. [In Persian].
———. (n.d.). Enqelāb-e Tūs or The History of the Advent of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. Manuscript No. 8487, Manuscript Center of Astan Quds. [In Persian].
Adib Heravi Khorasani, Muhammad-Hassan. (1958). Enqelāb-e Tūs. Manuscript No. 91218, Islamic Parliament Library. [In Persian].
Bafghi, Oliyāollah. (1951). Ashob-e Äkhir al-Zamaan. Manuscript No. 7289, Manuscript Center of Astan Quds. [In Persian].
Bankdar, Seyyed Masoud; Mohammadi Ayin, Shahrzad. (2016). “A Comparative Study of the Causes and Consequences of the Russian Attack on the Holy Shrine of Reza (P.B.U.H) in 1912, Based on Newly Discovered Documents.” Journal of Islamic History, 6th year, No. 23, pp. 87–109. [In Persian].
Jafarian, Rasool. (2017). “Two Poem Eulogizing the Russian Attack on Imam Reza (P.B.U.H): Articles and Historical Essays.” Vol. 4. Tehran: Elm Publications. [In Persian].
———. (1999). “A Tragic Account: A Literary Document Concerning the Russian Attack on the Shrine of Imam Reza (P.B.U.H).” Meshkat, No. 62, pp. 396–409. [In Persian].
———. (2009). “Anti-Islamic Movements of the Russian State: News Reports on the Attack on the Shrine of Imam Reza (P.B.U.H) on the 10th of Rabi’ al-Thani, 1951.” Payam-e Baharestan, 2nd Volume, Issue No. 6, pp. 15–42. [In Persian].
Jalali, Gholamreza. (2007). Muhammad Hassan Adib Heravi: Distinguished Personalities Interred in the Shrine. Vol. 1. Mashhad: Islamic Research Foundation. [In Persian].
Jalali, Meysam. (2012). “Memorial Stone of the Bombardment of Imam Reza’s (P.B.U.H) Shrine.” Meshkat, No. 117, pp. 131–136. [In Persian].
Hassan Abadi, Abolfazl. (2010). “A Documentary Review of the Estimated Damage to the Imam Reza (P.B.U.H) Shrine During the 1951 Bombing.” Shamseh, No. 6, pp. 1–20. [In Persian].
———. (2013). “A Tribute to the Pond of Astan Quds Razavi.” Astan Honar, No. 7, pp. (blank). [In Persian].
Unidentified Treatise. (1951). Manuscript No. 57384, Manuscript Center of Astan Quds. [In Persian].
Habl al-Matin Newspaper. 20th Year. Monday, 16th of Jumada al-Thani, 1951. Issue No. 1. [In Persian].
———. (20th Year). Monday, 1st of Rajab, 1951. Issue No. 2. [In Persian].
———. (20th Year). Monday, 8th of Rajab, 1951 AH. Issue No. 3. [In Persian].
———. (19th Year). Monday, 9th of Jumada al-Thani, 1951. Issue No. 44. [In Persian].
———. (19th Year). Monday, 25th of Jumada al-Awwal, 1951. Issue No. 42. [In Persian].
Sykes, Sir Percy. (2012). History of Iran. Translated by Fakhr Da’i. Tehran: Negah. [In Persian].
Ketabforoosh Tehrani, Nowroozali. 1966. A Tragic Account, Lithographic Editition . [In Persian].
Golban, Mohammad. (1971). “A Historical Account of Nowbahār Newspaper. Yaghmā, No. 271: 27–33. [In Persian].
Matthee, Rudi. (2020) “The Infidels’ Assault: The Russian Attack on the Shrine of Imam Reza (P.B.U.H) in Mashhad.” In The Russians in Iran: A Collection of Essays, edited by Rudi Matthee and Elena Andreeva, translated by Mohammad Aghajeri. Tehran: Tehran Book Translation and Publishing Agency. [In Persian].
Najafzadeh, Ali. (2015). Consulates, Foreign Employees, and Foreign Advisers in Mashhad (From the Qajar Era to the Islamic Revolution). Mashhad: Ansar; National Archives and Library of Iran, Northeast Regional Center. [In Persian].
Wynne, Anthony. (2003). Iran in the Great Game. Translated by Abdolreza Houshang Mahdavi. Tehran: Peykan Publishing. [In Persian].
Documents
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Diplomatic Archives and History. (1951). Document No. 24-8-214. [In Persian].
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Diplomatic Archives and History. (1951). Document No. 23-12-38. [In Persian].
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Diplomatic Archives and History. (1951). Document No. 23-12-172. [In Persian].
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Diplomatic Archives and History. (1951). Document No. 23-1-98. [In Persian].
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Diplomatic Archives and History. (1951). Document No. 24-8-48.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Diplomatic Archives and History. (1951). Document No. 24-8-165.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Diplomatic Archives and History. (1951). Document No. 24-8-183.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 9467/4.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 9467/16.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 9467/26.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 9467/38.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 9572/1.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 103061.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 103488.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 63066.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 98808.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 111286.
Astan Quds Razavi Archives, Document No. 103616.
 

Home

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us