Miracles at the Saqqa-khanih: Power Struggles, Baha'i Pogrom and Murder of the American Envoy in Tehran

Journal article

In June 1924 Tehran woke up to the news that a famous saqqa-khanih had performed miracles. The most widespread story was that a Babi / Baha'i girl had tried to poison the saqqa-khanih's water and had suddenly gone blind. This happened against the background of an acute power struggle between Reza Khan and the opposition which had recently ended with the failure of his campaign to turn Iran into a republic. The news of the miracles led to anti-Babi demonstrations as well as a rush by the sick and the disabled to seek cure from the saqqa-khanih. And when the American vice-consul Robert Imbrie and his friend went to take photos of the scenes they were murdered by a mob, probably helped by police and soldiers. The government and the opposition both blamed each other for the incident, but the likeliest explanation is that the demonstrations had been fomented by the royal court and a few conservative clerics close to them, though the murder of Imbrie had been totally unplanned. © 2013 Copyright British Society of Middle Eastern Studies.

Authors: Katouzian, H

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: BRITISH JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
• Volume: 40
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 295-304
• Publication date: 2013-07-01
• DOI: 10.1080/13530194.2013.791136
• EISSN: 1469-3542
• ISSN: 1353-0194