Mismanagement in the Qajar Iran: Āstān-i Quds-i Radhawī Organization, Administration of the Shrine of Imam Ridhā (AS), 1916-1918/1334-1335 AH

The inefficiency of the bureaucratic administration in the Qajar era is not an issue, especially as it was quite evident in the last decades of life of this dynasty in various forms. There is enough information available on the failure or fault of the ministries and their staff in the first decades of the twentieth century/1320s and 1330s AH. However, the incompetence of the offices under the direct supervision of the Shah has received less attention.The present study is concerned with investigating theft of a copy of the Quran writing of which attributed to Imam Sadjdjād (AS) from above the tomb of Imam Ridhā (AS) that was under management of Administration of the Shrine of Imam Ridhā (AS) or Āstān-i Quds-i Radhawī Organization, (1334-1335 AH). Having religious nature, this case, as expected, became the hot news of the press. The incident raised also the issue of managing and overseeing the Āstān-i Quds Organization which outside the realm of government, was one of institutions under the Shah's direct responsibility. As a result of this theft, Āstān-i Quds management's shortcomings were taken seriously. The findings of the present study indicate that what happened was the result of chronic mismanagement in the important religio-politico establishment of Āstān-i Quds, which was headed by the Shah himself. Although public awareness of Āstān-i Quds inefficiency paved the way for structural reforms in the organization, this was not realized at the appropriate time.