'Ās̱ār-i khayr’: Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh Qājār and the major shrines of Iran and Iraq

Thesis

This thesis explores Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh’s acts of patronage at the major shrines in Iran and Iraq to understand how he used these sites as canvases on which to portray a carefully crafted public image of his right to rule. While the markedly religious nature of Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh’s reign has been acknowledged in existing scholarship and his role as a significant patron of arts and architecture has been established, no study has investigated the details of the Shah’s extensive patronage to these most significant of religious sites. Three major shrines are the focus of this study, those of: Fāṭimah Maʿṣūmah in Qom; Imām Riżā in Mashhad; and Imām Ḥusayn in Karbalaʾ. The first three chapters address each of these sites in turn. The final chapter of the thesis aims to reconstruct and examine the Shah’s own mausoleum within the shrine in Qom. In order to piece together an image of the Shah’s relationship with these sites, early-Qajar courtly sources, such as Khāvarī’s Tārīkh-i Ẕū al-Qarnayn and the poetry of Fatḥ ʿAlī Khān Ṣabā, are used along with other records, such as royal firmans and photography. Where possible, details of the political context for the moment of patronage are explored, helping us to understand the motivations for this support of shrines. The Safavid precedent of shrine patronage is present throughout this study and, as has been shown to be the case for the nature of early-Qajar empire building, it is clear that Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh often adopted Safavid modes of expressing his legitimacy as an Iranian imperial ruler. The resulting image is one of a conscious programme of patronage of the most significant religious sites in Iran and Iraq to simultaneously engage with the Iranian imperial past while innovating to create new modes of shrine patronage.

Authors: Hart, F

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-kz5j8vdp6
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English