Russian Colonization and Shi ite Islam: Russian Policy toward Shi ite Muslims of Transcaucasia (1813-1850)

Russian conquest of Transcaucasia had multidimensional consequences for Muslim population of the region. A substantial part of these population was composed of shi’ite muslims who mostly lived in the southern or the pre-Iranian provinces. Based on some newly found archival documents¡ this study aimed to shed some lights on one aspects of this problem which so far has been neglected by most of the specialists of this field. As a pivotal question it seeks to ask what was the policy of Russian colonial governemt of transcaucasia toward the shiite muslims of the region. To provide an answer for this question it draws on a bunch of archival data which are gleaned from scattered documents and have been analysed inside a greater theoretical framework. Two important cases in this context¡ the first one¡ a certain Mulla Tangriverdi and the second one¡ the ill-famed Aqa Mir Fattah are at the center of this study. As the results show¡ from the first years of Russian conquest of transcaucasia¡ Russian governores have proceeded a certain policy toward the shiite population. This policy seems to have three conspicous aspects; the first was thretening influential clerical to avoid any contact with Iranian Mujtahids¡ the second one was an attempt to absorb middle-ranked shi’its ulama into the Russian adminstration. And the third was an attempt to construct a central religious institute for Shiite jurisdiction authority whose illfortune nominate was the Iranian notorious mujtahid Mir Fattah. The findings is likely to unfold some vague aspects of Russian colonial policy of caucas towards Shites after the enforcement of Golestan agreement.