Rare 1911 Persian Passport – Qajar Dynasty
Not often do you find such a lovely & rare collectible from the Arabic-Islamic World. This Persian passport was issued when Persia was still a kingdom and ruled by the last King of the Qajar dynasty – Shah Ahmad (1909-1925). His successors were the previous Kings of the Persian Monarchy – the Pahlavi dynasty (1925-1979). Since the revolution in Feb 1979, Persia (Iran) has been officially named the “Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Ahmad Shah Qajar (Persian: احمَد شاه قاجار) (January 21, 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Iran (Persia) from July 16, 1909, to October 31, 1925, and the last of the Qajar dynasty. Ahmad Shah acceded to the Peacock Throne on July 16, 1909, following the overthrow of his father and predecessor, Mohammad Ali Shah. They had attempted to reverse earlier constitutional restrictions on royal power and thus enraged the majority of Iranians. It is alleged that Ahmad Shah was one of the most democratic-minded kings of Persia. In contrast, others dismiss him as a weak ruler, uninterested in attending to government matters.
The passport was issued in 1911 in Tehran for a 16-year-old student traveling to Europe via Russia. Visas and revenues from Persia and Russia are on the front and back. The passport has a perforation line at the left part of the document (Annex B), and I believe this part should be generally kept with the passport office for their archive. In this case it wasn’t – which is very unusual.
Tom Topol | Passport History Expert & Author.
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