Rūznāmah-i Īrān (Qājār, Dawrah-i Avval)
Rūznāmah-i Īrān (Qājār, Dawrah-i Avval)
روزنامه ایران (قاجار، دوره اول)
| Digital Collection Type | Newspaper |
|---|
| Language | Persian |
|---|
| First Year | 1288 H.Q. |
|---|
| Last Year | 1320 H.Q. |
|---|
| Permalink | https://www.opars.com/collection/ruznamah-i-iran/ |
|---|
Brochure, Sample issue
The newspaper “Īrān” was published on 11 Muḥarram 1288 AH, one month after Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh Qājār ordered the closure of all monthly court-affiliated newspapers. The administration of newspapers, previously under ʻAlī Qulī Iʻtiḍād al-Salṭanah, was transferred by royal decree to Muḥammad Ḥasan Khān Iʻtimād al-Salṭanah (Ṣanīʻ al-Dawlah). The newspapers ʻIlmīyah-i Dawlat-i ʻAlīyah, Dawlat-i ʻAlīyah-i Īrān, Millatī, and Millat-i Sanīyah-i Īrān were shut down, and “Iran” was published in their stead.
The newspaper lacked specific details about its staff. However, based on most sources noting Muḥammad Ḥasan Khān’s signature on many of the newspaper’s announcements, he is considered its publisher and manager. Ṣadr Hāshimī, in the first volume of “Tārīkh-i jarāyid va majallāt-i Īrān”, lists the newspaper’s staff as Mīrzā ʻAlī Khān Nāʼīnī and Muḥammad Ḥusayn Adīb (Dhakāʼ al-Mulk) as writers, Mīrzā Abū Turāb as the special illustrator, Mīrzā Sayyid Aḥmad as the newspaper’s scribe, Ḥabīb Allāh as the special printing master, Mullā Ghulām Ḥusayn as the gilder, and Ustād Muḥammad Ḥusayn as the newspaper’s bookbinder. Dr Nāṣir al-Dīn Parvīn, in his book “Rūznāmah va rūznāmah’nigārī-i Īrānīyān va dīgar Pārsī’nivīsān”, identifies Nāʼīnī as the newspaper’s editor-in-chief.
The image of the Lion and Sun (the country’s official emblem at the time of publication) at the top of the page, with the newspaper’s name between two wheat branches, forms the masthead of “Iran”. On the right side, the publication date, price, and subscription amount are printed, while on the left side, the Gregorian date, newspaper office location, and advertisement printing cost are listed.
“Īrān” was a government newspaper that covered all expenses from state funds and only charged readers for subscriptions. It was initially published in large format using lithography, but from issue 217, it switched to lead type printing, becoming the first Iranian newspaper to experiment with movable type. After some time, due to the breakdown of the movable type printing machine, it reverted to lithography.
The newspaper was published three times a week at first, later reduced to twice weekly. Its content included official domestic news such as court news, royal decrees and orders, ministry news, foreign news, and telegraphic news. The newspaper also printed stories or translations of foreign books in its footnotes.
Muḥammad Ḥasan Khān was given the title Ṣanīʻ al-Dawlah in Rabīʻ al-Thānī 1288 AH due to his efforts and dedication to publishing the newspaper. He managed the newspaper until his death while also serving as the Minister of Publications. Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh expressed his satisfaction with Ṣanīʻ al-Dawlah’s management on several occasions.
Iʻtimād al-Salṭanah passed away due to a stroke on 18 Shawwāl 1313 AH, after publishing 877 issues of the newspaper. His nephew, Muḥammad Bāqir Khān Adīb al-Mulk, succeeded him. The newspaper “Iran” continued to be published until 1320 AH when, in 1321 AH, Mīrzā Muḥammad Nadīm Bāshī, who was in charge of periodicals, changed its name to “Īrān-i Sulṭānī”.