Sayyid Abdolrahim Kashani, Representative from Tehran in the 7th and 8th National Consultative Assemblies

This paper aims to offer an account of political and social activities of Sayyid Abdolrahim Kashani, revolutionist in the Constitutional Revolution, by narrating historical events recorded in documents and resources. Kashani was a stamp and postcard merchant and a revolutionist. In 1907 he launched a newspaper called A’ineyeh Gheybnama (The invisible-reflecting mirror). Another work published by him was The Collection of Stamps Issued by Iran’s Post, a book published in 1953, which is the oldest book presenting stamps issued in Iran. He was a proponent of Reza Khan in his attempts for the throne, and was a member of the First Constituent Assembly, which formed in 1925 to vote for the overthrow of Qajar dynasty and foundation of Pahlavi. As a proponent of Reza Shah’s rule, he then stood as a candidate for the 7th National Consultative Assembly elections but failed to win enough votes to be selected as one of the twelve representatives from Tehran. However, since the City Police protected proponents of Reza Shah, his votes were high and when three representatives resigned a short while later, he was selected as a representative to the 7th Assembly. He managed to win enough votes to be a member of the 8th Assembly, too, but he passed away within a few months from the Assembly’s lifetime. Although not effective in the 7th and 8th Assemblies, he was influential in the Constitutional Revolution and the related events.