28 MORDAD

In memory of “Pir Mohammad Ahmad Abadi”

The disagreements between His Majesty and me were never of such a personal nature that His Highness should have forgiven me. Let him not think that I would have asked for amnesty when, following my conviction, the Court Minister offered this to me in a letter; I despised doing such a thing. As for his statement that since leaving prison in 1956 I was allowed to go to my residence, it is utterly false. I was taken there by force, I am a prisoner in this village, cannot leave without an escort and I cannot move without official permission. I want to leave this miserable existence as soon as I can.
-- Response to Mission for my country - Mohammad Mossadegh

I had a chance to visit Ahmad Abad in August of 2005 [photos]. Accompanied by a friend, the son of the late Seyed Ali Shaygan, who was the minister of Culture in Mossadegh’s cabinet, I drove some 60 kilometers to the town, which is located west of Tehran, past the city of Karaj. Mr. Takrousta, the caretaker of Ahmad Abad, showed us around, and it was really sad to see Ahmad Abad in such dilapidated condition. Apparently, a few years ago, the minister of Cultural Heritage (Miras-e- Farhangi) during a visit had learned about the sorry state of the compound and offered to help, but nothing had ever come of that promise.

Ahmad Abad, where Dr. Mossadegh lived until his death in 1967, is in extremely poor condition; the walls are cracked, the upstairs rooms are empty, and only a few renovations have been undertaken, thanks to the efforts of the late Varjavand of the National Front and other surviving members. Mr. Takrousta told me that until the very end, Mossadegh remained a mediator in all kinds of local disputes, and read and wrote from his place of exile. He was like a father to the villagers. He was never allowed to leave until he fell ill, at which point he was moved to Tehran’s Najmieh Hospital, where he died.

The residence, where Mossadegh conducted his affairs, was a remarkably unostentatious place. After his death, the Shah did not allow him to be buried near the tomb of the martyrs of 30 Tir outside of Tehran as he had requested in his will, so he was buried in Ahmad Abad. Maybe one day, this place will finally become the shrine that Iranians have been deprived of for nearly 50 years. Here are the photos of the humble dwelling where the beloved Prime Minister of Iran lived, worked and talked to the villagers of Ahmad Abad and the surrounding area.

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