pajoheshi
Iran Local Histories
Zoleykha Ghaffari Roodsari; Mahdi Ebadi
Abstract
Rural life and the issue of ownership in Gilan during the historical periods prior to the Qajar era followed at rajectory similar to that of other regions in Iran. However, during the Qajar period, due to the expansion of international relations, new economic dynamics emerged within Iranian society compared ...
Read More
Rural life and the issue of ownership in Gilan during the historical periods prior to the Qajar era followed at rajectory similar to that of other regions in Iran. However, during the Qajar period, due to the expansion of international relations, new economic dynamics emerged within Iranian society compared to earlier times. Given that Gilan was considered a border province, these transformations manifested more significantly in rural life and land ownership within this region, Accordingly, this article, relying on the method of historical studies based on documents and using archival documents, has addressed these changes in the context of rural life, including the issue of land ownership, the expansion of private property, and the results of those changes in rural life in the Qajar era. According to the findings of this study, due to the existence of fertile land and favorable geographical location of Gilan during the Qajar era, domestic and foreign traders paid special attention to this area. Due to this attention, foreign traders took advantage ofthe political turmoil and weakness of the central government of Iran to seize the agricultural and rural lands of Gilan to produce products needed by global markets. One of the important factors influencing the change in the mindset of the local people and villagers regarding private property was the sale of the Khalsa properties of Gilan by Naser al-Din Shah. This action intensified the presence of influential individuals and Iranian businessmen, as well as nationals of foreign countries, in the villages of Gilan as landowners. Along with these changes, the issue of ownership and land tenure acquired new and different dimensions and popularized the idea of private ownership in the villages of the province of Gilan, which was accompanied by different results regarding ownership of its fertile lands compared to the past.
.
