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Farah Rusta ;)

So sweet of you to know that I just can't hate anyone.

Rest assured that I'd never have the energy  to hate Comrade after a a few dirty weekends..

I just know that he won't elaborate on Gellner, ARGHHHHH!

" Thank god for botox; my facial expressions are wearing rather thin...."

خدا رحم کنه!

I have said many times in the past, that we are a nation of accidental heroes and reluctant villains. In that regard He was certainly one of us. 

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

...

Dear D.A.

How can you, or indeed anyone, hate Comrade? Impossible!

Sorry if I have been unfunny. I can't help it!

FR

مرسی‌ رفیق شفیق من

You are as always so generous towards me.

Thank you for clarification. So, although Mohammad Reza Shah may not have been a true nationalist, would I be correct to suggest that nevertheless he was a patriot?

Blessings

FR

Comrade, I hate you! No wonder ---------

Sorry to barge my cute younger bottom in, but

You've been on Gellner too? Now, tell me what you think about what he thinks about "muslim societies", please and remember that I hate you and I'll remember your Scottish stingy roots. ;)

" Thank god for botox; my facial expressions are wearing rather thin...."

Farah Rusta - I saw some of your comments on that other thing. And I also asked, where were the "non-Iranians" were on yet another thread....Too many unfunny farces, just kill people...

استاد روستا، فقط خدا کنه که بذاری دستم به زمین برسه...

I'm honored and flattered by your nice remarks. My guru Rusta, needs not my reminder that "nationalism" as a doctrine lacks coherence and determinacy, and is somewhat considered an undesirable phenomenon among Western thinkers.

The best definition of nationalism in my opinion is given by Gellner:"Nationalism is primarily a political principle, which holds that the political and the national unit should be congruent.

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

so so

confuse shoul I be proud of them or ashamed of them

Domestic Beers (#41)

If I am not mistaken, "Shams" had a green bottle and "Majidiyeh" had a brown bottle.

Cheers!

Interesting pictures, thanks for sharing.

My favorite is #63.

great pics.  although, i'd

great pics.  although, i'd seen some of them.  pic #7 is priceless. 

ms. rusta, your psychological analysis of body postures of pahlavis and ghajars gives a 'slam dunk' reason why the pahlavis were better than ghajars.  can we move on now? ;)

anonymouse, yes a doorman/bodyguard/security guard made it to be a king.  that's the eyeranian dream.  it makes me wonder what a f-ed up country we had that someone with the caliber of reza khan had such positions.  like it or not, reza khan, without any fancy family or education was able to get to the top.  he would have made a great first president.  alas.

What a difference!

Two pictures, two powerful British offcials in each and yet what a difference there is when you add two fundamentally opposite Iranian figures to each of these two pictures.

The first one shows a young king, newly but prematurely forced to accede the throne left so abruptly vacant by his father's forced abdication, flanked by two most powerful British officers of the occupying forces. The king is standing tall with his head high, taller and slightly ahead of the two men clearly displaying a sense of deep displeasure at being the occupant of the peacock throne under the presence of the occupying forces (#27).

The second one also shows two powerful British Generals this time being flanked by two miserable looking, crestfallen Qajari princes, standing slightly behind the British Generals with their shoulders fallen and their heads low. Their body postures resemble those of a pair of subordinates careful not to disrespect their masters begging for a gracious gesture from them - somewhat akin to a pair of local orderlies hired to serve the high ranking colonial officers (#14).

I hope you have appreciated the contrast by now.

Farah may god find your "ration" from someone else!

Everything is sacred

Some education can be helpful

Anonymouse

You contradict yourself dear: If the Pahlavis are blamed for the Islamic revolution for ignoring their constitution, then the mullahs cannot be blamed for their imminent fall for the same reason - if anything the mullahs followed their laws and constitution to the dot!

No Fear

Protocol requires the head of the state of the host nation to welcome the visiting head of the state. The only one who broke with the protocol was Stalin who visited the Shah in his own palace.

ps - don't see much of you in the company of your cousin Piruz these days. Have you fallen out with each other?

FR

Anonymouse

He is a Colonel in that picture. By then he had delegated the machine gun duties to the others.The Russian soldiers are the ones that escaped Bolshevic Revolution and came to Iran.

I referred to picture 8 to point out the WW I machine gun. His machine gun duties were from the time that he was the head of Kazaks.

on "power", I can't quite decide which one is worse:

Declaring to be the "Light of the Aryan Race", having brown skin and looked down at by white, blonde, "Real Aryan" Europeans as inferior, or declaring to be the "ayatollah of the entire islamic world", yet being regarded a Shia Kafir only worth decapitating, by the rest of the muslim world!

"Personal business must yield to collective interest."

I think in pic7 he was asked2 move the horse's crap for the pic!

Faramarz jaan in pic 8 Reza khan is not behind the machine gun.  He is #3 in the pic and another guy is behind the gun. 

Everything is sacred

My dear Comrade

You know that I have such high regards for your opinion and value it very much. It is in this light that I would like to ask you what your definition of "true nationalism" is. Thank you.

FR

رضا خان ماکسیم شصت تیر

The horse in picture 7 looks very photogenic!

Reza Shah’s nickname was Reza Khan Maxim (picture 8), because he was the only person who could operate the WWI Maxim machine gun (60 bullets) back then.

These are great pictures and tell an incredible story of Iran around WW II. When Reza Shah came to power, Ahmad Shah was on British government salary and living the life in Paris. When he was asked to come back to Iran and rule, Ahmad Shah said something like, “Are you kidding me? You want me to give up all these cabarets and night life and go back to Iran?’ He died in Paris.

These pictures tell the story of Iran that was run by the Brits and the Russians. You couldn’t even go to the northern part of Tehran (Gholhak) without getting permission from the British embassy. Or in Abadan, you had to go to BP to get electricity for your home. Reza Shah did what he could to keep the country together.

The late Shah inherited an occupied Iran at the age of 21.  That’s why he looks so weak in those pictures with Churchill, Stalin, Molotov, Smirnoff, Stoli and Grey Goose! Just imagine for a second what you and I were doing at the age 21; probably something more in line with Ahmad Shah!

I for one, respect these men for what they accomplished during their reins, but also I will be quick to point out the late Shah’s huge mistakes and shortcomings especially in the early 70’s. But that’s another discussion for another day.

U believe what u want 2 believe & I believe what I want 2 believ

Everything is sacred

No Anony

we should also take our share of the blame, don't you think? it is too simplistic to pin everything on one man alone!

Hooks

Power Pirates tried to pawn me bound in shipping knots. One of Wendy's webs?

Nice pictures.

Its obvious that the Pahlavis were westernized.  I never liked them. Its hard to see an Iranian king so accustomed to western life style, such as owning dogs, ski trips to swiss alps, dressed in european fashions etc. They look more like rich americans than an Iranian king.

There is a picture of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi visiting British prime minister in British embassey in Tehran after the brits deported his father's ass to south africa. How fucking humiliating for a king to visit the prime minister in their embassey! Shouldn't it be the other way around?!

A doorman (subject) made it 2 top (King)

History is full of contradictions.  Khomeini a talabeh made it to top and became the Supreme Leader and established a Veliyat Faghih.

The foundations of modern Iran?  Sure, no problem.  The same foundations layed the foundations of the next level of the "backward" Iran.

The Pahlavis did ALL they could to bring Iran to modernity.  ALL they could and spared no detail and used all the means necessary, including waterboarding!  Obviously they didn't do enough.

I put all the blame for creation of Islamic Republic on Pahlavis who failed to follow the rule of law and constitution.  When Islamic Republic falls, I'll put the blame on on Khomeini, Khamanei and whoever is the next "supreme" guy!   

Everything is sacred

Psychology of a dictator

I have no doubt that Shah devoted His life to reverse the humiliating  setting which is  portrayed in the image #27. It was a personal fight for his own ego.

It should not be mistaken for true nationalism.

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

...

Interesting pictures nevertheless.

مازیار 58

Anony

How condescending! Great men in Iran's history were never from upper cast ...

p/s now remember the state of Persia back then! A doorman made it to the top and not only that, but lay the foundation of modern Iran! I think we owe a lot to that doorman, wouldn't you say?

I didn't realize he was Dutch consulate's doorman!

Everything is sacred

famile sargord

Is in pic007 next to Reza(KHAN)shah and the dutch consul.            Maziar