Rais Ali Delvari
Encyclopedia
Rais Ali Delvari was a national hero of southern Iran
, who organized popular resistance against the British troops, which had invaded Iran in 1915.
His house, located in Delvar, near Bushehr
, has been transformed into ethnological museum. Some of Rais Ali Delvari's personal items, as well as historic documents of his time, various types of guns and horse caparisoning are exhibited in this museum.
, Iran was neutral . In reality, Persian forces were affected by the rivalry between the Allied Powers
and the Central Powers
and took sides based on the conditions. Western interest in Persia was based on its significant oil reserve and its strategic situation between Afghanistan
and the warring Ottoman, Russian, and British Empires. Persia was divided into northern and southern spheres of influence under the Anglo-Russian Treaty of 1907. The treaty defined their respective spheres of influence
in Iran and Afghanistan and provided a counterweight to German influence.This treaty was widely viewed by Iranians as having made the nation into nothing more than a British and Russian protectorate
, so during the World War I , many local rebellions occurred in Iran against the British and Russian forces participating
in war against Central powers of World War I.In Northern Iran , Jangal movement of Gilan , was the main operating local force against the British and Russians forces , and in Southern Iran , Qashqai
, Tangistani
and Laristani tribes were the main resisting power against the British empire. In both Southern and Northern movements , Persian Central Government Gendarmerie
supported the rebels (See Persian Campaign
).
on the eve of World War I, dedicated to promoting and sustaining subversive and nationalist agitations in British India and the Persian and Egypt
ian satellite states. The bureau was involved in intelligence and subversive missions to Persia and Afghanistan to dismantle the Anglo-Russian Entente
. The bureau's operations in Persia were led by Wilhelm Wassmuss
. The Germans hoped to free Persia from British and Russian influence and to further create a wedge between Russia and the British, eventually leading to an invasion of British India by locally organized armies.
On 8 August 1915 the British forces occupied Bushehr with five hundred more Anglo-Indian cavalrymen and on 14 September removed Mokhber-al-Saltana from Shiraz and installed Habib-Allah Qawām-al-Molk as acting governor of Fars Province. Between August and October 1915, Qawām-al-Molk received financial support from the British . But in late December the British protégé was expelled from Shiraz by pro-German officers of gendarmerie and the radical Democrat Party members who occupied the city and confiscated the British assets.Five days later British ships bombarded the headquarters of the Tangestanis tribal at Dilbar ; and on 3 and 9 September the Anglo-Indians repulsed during bloody clashes several Tangistani raids , in this clashes, Rais Ali was killed .Then the Britishs used pro-British tribes to scatter the enemy into the hinterland.At the end , local tribal leaders murdered the British vice consul (a Persian) in Shiraz.
, Dashti, Dashtestan and
, embarked upon a war against the British. Eventually, Ṣawlat-al-Dawla’s uprising subsided due to the spread of influenza and British pressure. In late 1920 Mohammad Mossadegh, the new governor-general of Fārs, reinstated Ṣawlat-al-Dawla to the office of īlḵānī. The South Persia Rifles
ended its activities following the British supported coup d’état of 1921 , which was followed by the formation of a modern army in Persia and the eventual suppression of tribal rebels.
, is named after this person .
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, who organized popular resistance against the British troops, which had invaded Iran in 1915.
His house, located in Delvar, near Bushehr
Bushehr
Bushehr Bushehr lies in a vast plain running along the coastal region on the Persian Gulf coast of southwestern Iran. It is the chief seaport of the country and the administrative centre of its province. Its location is about south of Tehran. The local climate is hot and humid.The city...
, has been transformed into ethnological museum. Some of Rais Ali Delvari's personal items, as well as historic documents of his time, various types of guns and horse caparisoning are exhibited in this museum.
Iranian background
In World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Iran was neutral . In reality, Persian forces were affected by the rivalry between the Allied Powers
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
and the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
and took sides based on the conditions. Western interest in Persia was based on its significant oil reserve and its strategic situation between Afghanistan
Emirate of Afghanistan
The Emirate of Afghanistan began with the end of the Durrani Empire and the reign of Dost Mohammad Khan in 1823 and ended when Amir Amanullah Khan became Shah in 1926. This period was characterized by the expansion of European colonial interests in Central Asia...
and the warring Ottoman, Russian, and British Empires. Persia was divided into northern and southern spheres of influence under the Anglo-Russian Treaty of 1907. The treaty defined their respective spheres of influence
Sphere of influence
In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....
in Iran and Afghanistan and provided a counterweight to German influence.This treaty was widely viewed by Iranians as having made the nation into nothing more than a British and Russian protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
, so during the World War I , many local rebellions occurred in Iran against the British and Russian forces participating
Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
The Middle Eastern theatre of World War I was the scene of action between 29 October 1914, and 30 October 1918. The combatants were the Ottoman Empire, with some assistance from the other Central Powers, and primarily the British and the Russians among the Allies of World War I...
in war against Central powers of World War I.In Northern Iran , Jangal movement of Gilan , was the main operating local force against the British and Russians forces , and in Southern Iran , Qashqai
Qashqai
Qashqai are the largest group of nomadic pastoralists people of Azeri descent who mainly live in the provinces of Fars, Khuzestan and southern Isfahan on the territory of modern Iran, especially around the city of Shiraz in Fars. They speak the Qashqai language which is a member of the Turkic...
, Tangistani
Tangestan County
Tangestan County is a county in Bushehr Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Ahram. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 63,276, in 14,620 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Delvar District...
and Laristani tribes were the main resisting power against the British empire. In both Southern and Northern movements , Persian Central Government Gendarmerie
Persian Central Government Gendarmerie
The Swedish Gendarmerie, also called the Government Gendarmerie , was the first modern highway patrol and rural police force in Persia. A paramilitary force, it also played a significant part in politics from its establishment in 1910 until the advent of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1921. It continued...
supported the rebels (See Persian Campaign
Persian Campaign
The Persian Campaign or Invasion of Persia was a series of engagements at northern Persian Azerbaijan and western Persia between the British Empire and the Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire, beginning in December 1914 and ending with the Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918 as part of...
).
German rule
Germany established their Intelligence Bureau for the EastIntelligence Bureau for the East
The Intelligence Bureau for the East was a German intelligence organisation established on the eve of World War I dedicated to promoting and sustaining subversive and nationalist agitations in the British Indian Empire and the Persian and Egyptian satellite states...
on the eve of World War I, dedicated to promoting and sustaining subversive and nationalist agitations in British India and the Persian and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian satellite states. The bureau was involved in intelligence and subversive missions to Persia and Afghanistan to dismantle the Anglo-Russian Entente
Anglo-Russian Entente
Signed on August 31, 1907, in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 brought shaky British-Russian relations to the forefront by solidifying boundaries that identified respective control in Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet...
. The bureau's operations in Persia were led by Wilhelm Wassmuss
Wilhelm Wassmuss
Wilhelm Wassmuss was a German diplomat, also known as the "Wassmuss of Persia". He attempted to foment trouble for the British in the Persian Gulf in the First World War.- Birth and schooling :...
. The Germans hoped to free Persia from British and Russian influence and to further create a wedge between Russia and the British, eventually leading to an invasion of British India by locally organized armies.
Uprising
During first years of WWI , Rais Ali and Wassmuss were busy formulating a general Anti-British uprising in Persia .In 12th July 1915 , Rais Ali and Tangestani's attacked the British residency in Bushehr but they were relapsed .On 8 August 1915 the British forces occupied Bushehr with five hundred more Anglo-Indian cavalrymen and on 14 September removed Mokhber-al-Saltana from Shiraz and installed Habib-Allah Qawām-al-Molk as acting governor of Fars Province. Between August and October 1915, Qawām-al-Molk received financial support from the British . But in late December the British protégé was expelled from Shiraz by pro-German officers of gendarmerie and the radical Democrat Party members who occupied the city and confiscated the British assets.Five days later British ships bombarded the headquarters of the Tangestanis tribal at Dilbar ; and on 3 and 9 September the Anglo-Indians repulsed during bloody clashes several Tangistani raids , in this clashes, Rais Ali was killed .Then the Britishs used pro-British tribes to scatter the enemy into the hinterland.At the end , local tribal leaders murdered the British vice consul (a Persian) in Shiraz.
Aftermath
In 26 June 1916 an anti-British uprising broke out in Shiraz, but was put down the next day. The fragile British control over Fārs was disrupted in May 1918 when Ṣawlat-al-Dawla, leading the Qashqais and other pro-German tribal forces from KazerunKazerun
Kazerun is a city in and the capital of Kazerun County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 84,594, in 20,810 families....
, Dashti, Dashtestan and
Tangestan County
Tangestan County is a county in Bushehr Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Ahram. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 63,276, in 14,620 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Delvar District...
, embarked upon a war against the British. Eventually, Ṣawlat-al-Dawla’s uprising subsided due to the spread of influenza and British pressure. In late 1920 Mohammad Mossadegh, the new governor-general of Fārs, reinstated Ṣawlat-al-Dawla to the office of īlḵānī. The South Persia Rifles
South Persia Rifles
The South Persia Rifles was a Persian military force recruited by the British in 1916 and under British command. They participated in the Persian Campaign of World War I.-History:...
ended its activities following the British supported coup d’état of 1921 , which was followed by the formation of a modern army in Persia and the eventual suppression of tribal rebels.
Legacy
According to Iranian Minister of Islamic Culture and Guidance,the Islamic Republic of Iran has designated September 3 as day of combat against British colonialism in Iran.The day is devoted to sacrifices of Rais Ali Delvari, and will be registered in official calendars . The Rais Ali Dilavari DamRais Ali Dilavari Dam
Rais Ali Dilavari Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Iran with an installed electricity generating capability of 70 MWh. It is situated in Bushehr Province....
, is named after this person .