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Abstract
This paper examines the Pahlavi National Library, the planning for which began in 1972 and expired in 1978 on the eve of the Islamic Revolution. The Pahlavi National Library was to rank in size and eminence with the great libraries of the world, yet this extraordinary project has hitherto received little to no scholarly attention. Using documents primarily from the archives of the shah’s cultural counsellor at the imperial court, Shojāʿeddin Shafā, this paper looks in detail at a number of initiatives spearheaded by Shafā from the early 1960s, which essentially laid the groundwork for the Pahlavi National Library, in order to understand how the shah’s regime used culture and scholarship to further its political goals. The paper proceeds to investigate the Pahlavi National Library, analyzing it in the context of the shah’s domestic and foreign policy objectives.
Notes
1 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library,” 124.
2 For example, Grigor, “Recultivating ‘Good Taste’,” Devos and Werner, Culture and Cultural Politics Under Reza Shah; Marashi, Nationalizing Iran.
3 Kia, “Persian Nationalism and the Campaign for Language Purification,” 23.
4 Marashi, Nationalizing Iran, 92.
5 Matin-Asgari, Both Eastern and Western, 191.
6 Richard Frye, Iranian Oral History Collection, Harvard University, tape 5, 37.
7 For a discussion of this autonomy at the government level, see Schayegh, “Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s Autocracy.”
8 Shafā, “Shojāʿeddin Shafā az Zabān-e Khodash,” 75; Steele, “Pahlavi Iran on the Global Stage.”
9 Shafā, The Pahlavi Library of the Future, 8.
10 ʿAlikhāni, Yāddāsht-hā-ye ʿAlam, vol. 4, 18.
11 Emami, “Urbanism of Grandiosity,” 86.
12 Shojāʿeddin Shafā, Jashn-hā-ye 2500 Sāleh-ye Shāhanshāhi, 13, Shojāʿeddin Shafā Archives, Bibliothèque Universitaire des Langues et Civilisations, Paris.
13 See Shojaeddin Shafa and his Literary and Research Works, 4‒5.
14 Mayor of Florence Luciano Bausi to Shafā, February 9, 1971, Shafā Archives.
15 Shafā, “Shojāʿeddin Shafā az Zabān-e Khodash,” 49.
16 Shafā, “Mosāhebeh-ye Chāp Nashodeh az Shojāʿeddin Shafā Darbāreh-ye,” 189. The celebrations were one of his first proposals in the position.
17 Shafā, Gāhnāmeh-ye Panjāh Sāl-e Shāhanshāhi-ye Pahlavi, vol. 5, 1,289.
18 “Conseil Culturel Royal De L’Iran, Sous le Haut Patronage de Sa Majeste Impériale Mohammad-Reza Chah Pahlavi,” undated document, Shafā Archives, 1‒8. In Shafā’s memoir he lists Lotfʿali Suratgar as a member of the Council instead of Taqizādeh. Shafā, “Shojāʿeddin Shafā az Zabān-e Khodash,” 73.
19 Shurā-ye Farhangi-ye Saltanati, report of year 1342, 2, Shafā Archives.
20 Ibid., 12‒13.
21 Rahmat Atābaki to Shojāʿeddin Shafā, Shahrivar 5, 1344/August 27, 1965, Shafā Archives.
22 “Conseil Culturel Impérial,” Journal de Teheran, September 26, 1963.
23 Ibid.
24 Patrick Linstead to Shafā, October 10, 1963, Shafā Archives.
25 Ketābkhāneh-ye Pahlavi, report, c. 1966‒67, Shafā Archives; “Kārnāmeh-ye Dah Sāleh-ye Ketābkhāneh-ye Pahlavi,” Keyhān, Mehr 27, 1354/October 19, 1975, 10.
26 “Iranian Study Center Now Being Established,” Tehran Journal, November 12, 1964.
27 Shafā document on creation of Pahlavi library, undated, Shafā Archives.
28 Āsāsnāmeh-ye Ketābkhāneh-ye Pahlavi, 2, Shafā Archives.
29 Ibid., 3.
30 Letter from Shafā to international cultural institutions, August 24, 1965, 3, Shafā Archives.
31 Letter Shafā to vazir-e darbār-e shāhanshāhi (Minister of the Imperial Court), c. 1344, Shafā Archives.
32 In post-revolution Tehran, Pahlavi Street was renamed Valiasr Street and Imperial Park was renamed Mellat Park.
33 Gozāresh-e Kār-hā-ye Jāri-ye Ketābkhāneh-ye Pahlavi, c. 1345, 3, Shafā Archives.
34 Letter from Shafā to international cultural institutions, October 1965, Shafā Archives.
35 Felix Tauer to Shafā, September 29, 1965, Shafā Archives.
36 Shafā document on creation of Pahlavi Library, undated, p. 2, Shafā Archives.
37 Dr. Fazllullāh Safā to Komiteh-ye Taʾlif-e Tārikh-e Irān, Bahman 5, 1344/January 25, 1966, Shafā Archives.
38 Dr. Fazllullāh Safā to Komiteh-ye Taʾlif-e Tārikh-e Irān, Dey 23, 1344/January 13, 1966, Shafā Archives.
39 Including, for example, Abulhassan Dehghān, Hasan Khub Nazar and ʿAli Sāmi from the Pahlavi University in Shiraz. See President of the Pahlavi University Asadollāh ʿAlam to Minister of Education Mr Hedāyati, 15 Esfand 1344/6 March 1966, Shafā Archives.
40 Marashi, Nationalizing Iran, 99.
41 Pahlavi, “Speech to the International Congress of Iranologists, Tehran, 31 August 1966,” in Pahlavi, Iran, Philosophy Behind the Revolution, 205.
42 Shafā to Dutch Ambassador in Tehran Hendrik Jonker, January 28, 1971, Nationaal Archief, The Hague, file no. 2.05.191/554.
43 Shafā to ʿAlam, Khordād 8, 1349/May 29, 1970, in Hadidi ed., “Pahlavi-ye Dovvom va Nemuneh-ye Andisheh-hā-ye Bāstāngerāyāneh: Negāhi be asnād-e mahramāneh-ye jashn-hā-ye 2500 sāleh-ye shāhanshāhi,” 156‒9.
44 Ansari, The Shah’s Iran, 250.
45 Court Minister to Javād Bushehri, Shahrivar 9, 1345/August 31, 1966, in Hadidi ed., “asnād-e mahramāneh-ye jashn-hā-ye 2500 sāleh-ye shāhanshāhi,” 143.
46 Minutes of the 886th session of the Historical Council, Shahrivar 21, 1349/September 12, 1970, ibid., 143‒5.
47 “Payām-e Shāhanshāh Āryāmehr dar Tārikh Sabt Shod,” Rastākhiz, Mehr 19, 2535 (1355)/October 11, 1976, 12. For a comprehensive list of publications in Iran and around the world released in conjunction with the Celebrations see Dustdār and Tayyebāti, Ketābshenāsi-ye Jashn-e Shāhanshāhi-ye Irān.
48 “List of events in the United Kingdom and Ireland in Celebration of the 2500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great,” September 27, 1971, FCO 17/1528.
49 Shakibi, “Pahlavism: The Ideologization of Monarchy in Iran,” 120.
50 Ketābkhāneh-ye Pahlavi report, c. 1966‒67, 7, Shafā Archives.
51 Ibid., 3; Gozāresh-e Kār-hā-ye Jāri-ye Daftar-e Farhangi va Ketābkhāneh-ye Pahlavi, Ordibehesht 31, 1345/May 21, 1966, Shafā Archives.
52 Shurā-ye Farhangi-ye Saltanati, report of year 1342 (1963‒64), 11, Shafā Archives.
53 Ibid. It appears that although lectures were delivered in different languages, the collected papers were translated and printed in Persian. In a letter from Richard Frye to the Iranian Ambassador in Washington DC, Frye submitted his paper “in accordance with his [Shafā’s] wishes … so it might be translated into Persian.” See Frye to Khosro Khosrovani, August 2, 1966, Shafā Archives.
54 “Permanent Body to Be Set Up for Future Congresses,” Tehran Journal, September 7, 1966.
55 Pahlavi Library report, c. 1966‒67, 8‒9, Shafā Archives.
56 For a complete list, see World Congress of Iranology, October 13‒15, 1971 [program].
57 See, for example, Italian Ambassador to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mehr 9, 1350/October 1, 1971, in Bazm-e Ahriman, vol. 4, 319.
58 Elwell-Sutton, “2500th Anniversary Celebrations,” 22.
59 “Iran’s Grand Library”, New York Times, March 7, 1976, 4.
60 For discussion see Zia-Ebrahimi, The Emergence of Iranian Nationalism, 213‒14.
61 Pahlavi, Iran, Philosophy Behind the Revolution, 123
62 Szyliowicz, Education and Modernization in the Middle East, 392.
63 Ibid., 393.
64 By 1975 it still stood at over 60 percent. Eilers, “Educational and Cultural Development in Iran during the Pahlavi Era,” 313.
65 Sabahi, The Literacy Corps in Pahlavi Iran, 46.
66 Dishon, Middle East Record: 1968, 497.
67 UNESCO, World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy, Teheran, September 8‒19, 1965, Final Report.
68 Shah’s speech at the Campaign to end Illiteracy, September 1965, Shafā Archives.
69 Shafā report to the Imperial Court, Aban 18, 1344/November 9, 1965, Shafā Archives.
70 Sabahi, The Literacy Corps in Pahlavi Iran, 157.
71 Shafa, The Pahlavi Library of the Future, 7.
72 Shafā, “From a Statement on the Spirit and Objectives of the Pahlavi National Library,” in Sharify, The Pahlavi National Library of the Future: Final Report.
73 Shahrouzi et al., The Pahlavi Library Architectural Programme, 14.
74 Shafa, The Pahlavi National Library of Iran: Its Planning, Aims and Future, 5.
75 Ibid., 3.
76 Liebaers, Mostly in the Line of Duty, 113.
77 Clavel, The Implementation and Development of the Pahlavi National Library Project, vi.
78 Quoted in ibid., v‒vi.
79 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library,” 110
80 Ibid., 111.
81 Ibid.
82 Southard and Sharify, “Nasser Sharify: A Few Untold Stories, 1947‒1987,” 59.
83 Shafa, The Pahlavi National Library of Iran: Its Planning, Aims and Future, 10.
84 Habibi-Azad, “The Partial History of Iran’s Library and Library Education Development: 1952‒1976,” 98.
85 Ibid., 101.
86 Southard and Sharify, “Nasser Sharify: A Few Untold Stories, 1947‒1987,” 61.
87 Ibid.
88 Sharify, The Pahlavi National Library of the Future: Final Report, vol. 2, 30.
89 Ibid., 31.
90 Ibid., 90.
91 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library,” 111.
92 Ibid. To put this into perspective, in 2017 the staff size of the Library of Congress was 3,105. See Library of Congress General Information, http://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/.
93 Listed in Clavel, The Implementation and Development of the Pahlavi National Library Project, vii‒viii.
94 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library,” 111.
95 Ibid.
96 “Pahlavi National Library: progress reported,” Library Journal, December 1, 1975, 2,191.
97 Hassanalizadeh, “The Pahlavi National Library in Iran,” 20.
98 Shafa, The Pahlavi National Library of Iran, 7–8.
99 Shahrouzi et al., The Pahlavi National Library Architectural Program, 14.
100 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library,” 114.
101 Ibid.
102 See Selected Principles of Traditional Iranian Architecture, Supplement to: The Pahlavi National Library Architectural Program.
103 Shafa, The Pahlavi National Library of Iran, 6.
104 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library”, 121.
105 Many projects were rejected due to limited cultural appropriateness. See Pahlavi National Library Project, International Architectural Competition 1977/1978: Public Exhibition of Projects (March 16—April 16 1978), 13.
106 Shahrouzi et al., The Pahlavi National Library Architectural Program, 111.
107 Robertson, “Shahestan Pahlavi: Steps Toward a New Iranian Centre,” 47.
108 Shahestan Pahlavi, vol. 1, 60.
109 Shahestan Pahlavi, vol. 2, 86.
110 Shahestan Pahlavi, vol. 1, 60.
111 Ibid., 36.
112 Shahrouzi et al., The Pahlavi National Library Architectural Program, 146.
113 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library,” 123.
114 Table showing most successful international competitions of architecture in the world, 1978, Shafā Archives.
115 The 1st Prize; von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (Federal Republic of Germany), Shafā Archives.
116 “Shahestan Cultural Center Among World’s Best: Monarch,” Tehran Journal, March 18, 1978.
117 H. T. Hockway to Shafā, March 15, 1978, Shafā Archives.
118 C. Reedijk to Shafā, March 17, 1978, Shafā Archives.
119 Many of these letters can be found in the Shafā Archives. The revolution put a stop to the publication of this volume.
120 Clavel, “Pahlavi National Library,” 123.
121 Ibid.
122 Herman Liebaers in the preface to Clavel, The Implementation and Development of the Pahlavi National Library Project, ix‒x.
123 Clavel, The Implementation and Development of the Pahlavi National Library Project, 2.
124 Liebaers preface to ibid., iv.
125 Clavel, The Implementation and Development of the Pahlavi National Library Project, 3.
126 Ibid., 155.
127 Shafa, The Pahlavi National Library of Iran, 24.
128 Clavel, The Implementation and Development of the Pahlavi National Library Project, 163.
129 Letter signed by Tucci, Ghirshman, Cameron, Frye and Lukonin, December 1976, Shafā Archives.
130 Ibid.
131 Clavel, The Implementation and Development of the Pahlavi National Library Project, 321.
132 Ibid.
133 Ibid., 316.
134 Ibid., 16.
135 Ibid., 24.
136 Ibid., 18.
137 Clavel to Shafā, October 2, 1978, Shafā Archives.
138 “Librarians and Libraries in a Nation in Revolution … Letter from Iran”, Library Journal, June 15, 1979, 1,309.
139 Clavel to Shafā, October 30, 1978, Shafā Archives.
140 “Librarians and Libraries in a Nation in Revolution”, 1,309.
141 Ibid.
142 Ibid., 1,308.
143 Clavel “Pahlavi National Library,” 124
144 Shafa, “Bibliographical Data,” 3.
145 Letter to Clavel, undated, c. 1990‒91. The author has been requested not to divulge the identity of the writer of the letter.
146 Ibid.
147 Quoted in Shafa, The Pahlavi National Library of Iran, 10.
148 Richard Frye, Iranian Oral History Collection, Harvard University, tape 5, 17.
149 Schayegh, “Iran’s Global Long 1970s,” 268.
150 ʿAbdolrezā Ansāri to Gholāmrezā Nikpey, Shahrivar 2, 1350/August 24, 1971, “asnād-e mahramāneh-ye jashn-hā-ye 2500 sāleh-ye shāhanshāhi,” 179.
151 “Iran’s Birthday Party,” Newsweek, October 25, 1971. Funds were allocated to modernize areas in Fars close to where foreigners might pass by, such as Marvdasht and Saʿadat Shahr. See Governor of Fars to Minister of Interior, Farvardin 30, 1350/April 19, 1971, in Bazm-e Ahriman, vol. 4, 32‒3.
152 ʿAlam to Javād Bushehri, Khordād 12, 1349/June 2 ,1970, in Bazm-e Ahriman, vol. 3, 183; Bushehri to ʿAlam, Khordād 18, 1349/June 8, 1970, ibid., 191.
153 Shafā, “Shojāʿeddin Shafā az Zabān-e Khodash,” 73‒4.
154 Sharify, The Pahlavi National Library of the Future, vol. 2, preface.
155 Ibid.