نشریه پژوهش های علوم تاریخی
سال چهارم شماره 1 (پیاپی 5، بهار و تابستان 1391)

It seems we might be allowed to trace a serious rivalry between two great oil companies of Great Britain, i.e. Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and Royal Dutch Shell- at the eve of 20th century. This presumed rivalry itself seemed to be a result of two important developments in British industry: conversion of the fuel consumption of British Navy from coal to petrol; a development which raised the competition between these two British companies for obtaining the new type of fuel. The other was the establishment of Turkish oil Company which these two great British companies rivaled to acquire more contributions of its stocks. A look on the historical process of this rivalry shows that the British state has contributed to it; because of British state’s support of Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the rivalry proved to be more fruitful for the latter. The present paper is an attempt to shed light on this rivalry and the British government’s role in it. It based on an analytical – descriptive study of available documents in English and Persian both published and unpublished.

The Persians were once the Indo-Iranian ethnic tribes who entered Iran in second half of the second millennium and settled in the Southern and Eastern side of Zagrous mountains. After years of settlement in the Eastern border of Elam and by taking advantage of the political situation, they gradually entered Anshan. It seems that Assyrians frequently campaign against eastern neighbours including Medes, Persians in particular Elam in the eighth and early seventh century BC led to friendly relationship and political-military unity between Persians and Elamites. In other hands, the Assyrians frequently campaign against the Western border of Elam which caused the negligence of the Elamites toward their eastern border, Anshan where the Persians were present, provided opportunity for the Persians gradually to enter Anshan.In this article it has been tried, based on Old inscriptions and other sources from Mesopotamia, Elam, Ancient Persian and archaeological evidence, and by using historical research methods to examine the entrance of the Persians into Anshan and their relation with Elamites. In this paper it has also been shown that because of Assyrian pressure against Elamites territory, they tried to have friendly relationship with the Persians. The Assyrian pressure against the western border of Elam from early seventh century BC also caused the negligence of Elamites toward their eastern border and this provided opportunity for the Persian to enter Anshan smoothly and without any resistance, and even after this important evidence this friendly relationship between Elamite and the Persians continued to the end of the Elamite rule in the Southwestern Iran.

Writing was invented in late 4th millennium BC in southern Mesopotamia and consequently written documents were produced. Legal documents are among the most important documents left to us from ancient Mesopotamia. Sumerian legal documents allow us to study the formation of law in the earliest urban societies. In this paper we study the edicts of Uru-Ka-gina (also read Iri-Ka-gina). Old and new interpretations of this magnificent text are examined. This essay proposes a new perspective about the origin of the idea of divine rule.

Traces of a class of social science and a philosophical interpretation of history could be found in the writings of famous religious and political figures as well as in some of acclaimed poets’ works of Islamic era. In this regard, poems of Ibn Motaz, as a member of Abbasid family and because of extensive tribal struggles between Abbasids and Alavis, are of considerable significance and are considered as the most important basis of analyzing and understanding the social, political and religious controversies. The same approach was later contrived by Maqrizi in his manuscript “al-Niza va al-Takhasom”, however he failed to deliver a comprehensive theory based on that. Based on tribal disputes and their prejudices, as major elements of a social structure, and also on their contribution to the changes and evolutions of society, Ibn Khaldun presented some outstanding scientific arguments. In this paper, we investigate Ibn Motaz’s poems from this point of view and his thoughts, seeming attractive, will be compared to that of al-Maqrizi.

Following a boom in writing Geographical books during the first centuries of the Islamic era, a period of surprising recession occurs during the Safavids. Although it started a century before the Safavids and dragged on for another one, and since the European geographical explorations were still ongoing and the science of Geography developed vastly, it seems more surprising and prominent. Amid the scarcity of resources for evaluating the Iranians knowledge of Geography in that period, there is an old fiction in the name of “Mehr –o-Mah” that reviewed in the beginning of the Safavid period and contains a regular and outstanding perception of the world geography. However it has romantic, mystic, cryptic, and deceitful aspects, but we can observe through it a significant order of east to west geography of ancient world¬, when there is no news of the discovery of a new continent.

Qutb al-Din Mohammad known as Abdollāh-e-Qutb, is the mystic and austere of 15-16 centuries whose most important trait of life is his plan of an ideal society organization, called “Ekhvan-Ābād”. Such a devotional aggregation near the city of Jahrom, provoked high sensitivity and prompted disagreements, because of this period’s advent. Since, after several centuries, there have been remained nothing today except a vague and unofficial plan of that utopia, this article tries to clarify and explain the subject depending on his few remaining letters as the strongest data resources.

Concerning the penetration and development of French language in Iran, present article is trying to scrutinize a part of unknown cultural history of Qajar era. By the rise of the period, especially in the reign of Mohammad Shah (1250-1264 A. H.), not only the socio-political causes, but also the different institutions, nobles and personalities took an important role to penetrate and develop of French language and literature in Iran. But in this trend, the most important role was held by «The French Alliance Schools», established in 1889 (1307 A. H.). Hence, the causes and the elements that provided the ground for such penetration will be investigated, initially. Then, in another part, beside the reflection of the aims of French Alliances, the quality of their establishment and the challenges they faced in Iran would be studied. At the end, the extent of French language and literature development would be surveyed in Iran.

Nowadays it can be gotten; by a glance at half-century precedent of theoretical studies on Iran History, that the circumstances of theories such as “Evolutionary Materialism of History” and “the Asian Order”, the European or euro-Russian theories that promote Marxism-Leninism ideologies and the values of western capitalism and liberalism, have been the predominant theoretical opinions in sociological analysis of Iran History. The most important cognitive problem governing the theories is their dependence on a European points of view, in two positive and negative form, and neglecting a great deal of the realities and experiences of Iran History. They have always assessed the Iranian society and history by the scale of its similarities and differences to the historical experiences of west. So the study of intellectual and cognitive principles of above theories, on the ground of the quality of Iranian society history and criticizing the theory called “Orientalism” are the ultimate goals of present essay.

Timur began his domination by the help he received from parts of the Chaghataid troops. Then and concurrent to extending his realm and power, he recruited defeated populations as new part of his army. Simultaneously he established household – provincial powers in his occupations which his sons and grandsons ruled over them. This political – administrative tradition was followed by his successors and actually some timurid principalities ruled over different parts of Iran which have their own organizations. In spite of that, historical sources which, mostly focused on central court’s developments, do not explain the role and importance of provincial governorships. As in central government, military forces and authorities were a crucial part of power structure in Timurid principalities, it is important to explain how was the combination and administration of provincial troops and also it’s relation to central army. The main purpose of this article is explaining these topics through an analytical-descriptive approach. Our study shows that there was an ethically diverse army in principalities which consisted of Ghaghataid and local forces. Also it indicates that the combination of provincial armies, which was depenant on the inhabitants of each part of Timurid empire in Iran, has changed during the time. In the case of relation between central and provincial armies, it seems that it was a function of the central and provincial situation and so unstable.

Mokrān, an Iranian district, is located south of Baluchistan on northern coasts of Mokrān (Oman) Sea. Its particular geographical situation has caused a promoting economic position since longs ago and its harbors have had an excellent commercial position and a significant economic improvement through the history. Mokrān benefits a thousands-year history and precious civilization. There are different opinions about its etymology and official and political administrative affiliation to adjacent states. And there have also been differences about the cities, harbors and villages related to it. Based on available information in historical and geographical resources and also on the researches held by Iranian and Foreign experts, some ambiguities about Mokrān has been resolved in present article.

Following the revival of Germany as a great power in Europe, Nazis needed to have strong economic base, and so developed relations with Iran. Development in the relations of two countries was welcomed by Allied Powers. Iran, in its turn, saw it as a means to alter influence of Russia and Great Britain, and bring political development and industrialization to the country. Before WW¬II, they went much further in developing the relationship to the level of forming an strategic alliance. It brings us this question: what was Germany’s main aim in developing relations with Iran, and how did they intend to achieve that goal? The same aim were propelled. As a working hypothesis, the article supposes that Germany had come to develop a sphere of influence through economic and cultural means.

Zafar Nāmeh was written by Hamdollāh Mostoufi who was a famous Iranian historian and geographer in the Mongol era and his versified book covers the history of Iran after Islam until 1336 AD. Although this is one of the important sources in the study of Mongol era, it has not been considered properly, because this book went under the shadow of another well-known book on history of Mongol, Jāmi al-tawārīkh. In other words, Jāmi al-tawārīkh soon became the main source for thescholars who wanted to write on that part of the Monghol history. Two questions which will be studied in this essay are the followings: What are the differences and similarities between this historical versified book and Jāmi al-tawārīkh᾽s narratives? is there any specific advantage in this book that contributes to the reconstruction of Monghol history?