A brief overview of “Seventy Years of Sustainability”

Forty Decades of Limpid Memories

Ava Madjd
Translated by Natalie Haghverdian

2019-12-24

If you are interested in history and looking for a good source for oral memoirs, Seventy Years of Sustainability[1] can fulfill your wishes. In this book, Hossein Shah Hosseini recounts his memoirs from 1320 to 1360, from childhood to the beginning of political activities, joining the National Front, being imprisoned during political activities to the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and welcoming the Imam Khomeini Committee and accepting the presidency shortly afterwards of the Physical Education Organization and National Olympic Committee.

Old neighborhoods & traditions

Initially, he is presented with a family background, including that of his father, Haj Sheikh Zayn al-Abidine Shah Husseini. He was a farmer at first, then he became a real estate dealer while also being a renowned merchants of Tehran. Haj Sheikh Zayn al-Abedin studied religion at the Marwi School taught by Haj Sheikh Abdul Nabi Nouri and Mirza Ashtiani, and was familiar with jurisprudence and other Islamic sciences. He was also a clergyman for five years. He attended political assemblies, which led his son Hussain to become familiar with political issues as a teenager.

In this book, the narrator also talks about the historical background of the old neighborhoods of Tehran, such as Sarcheshmeh: "Sarcheshmeh district was a so-called settler district. The old settlers still call the street with the names of people they are named after. Alley of Mo'ez ol-Dowleh, Ezzat ol-Dowleh, Fakhr ol-Dowlah, Hajeb ol-Dowleh, Wasiqi. Or the street name of Ain ol-Dowleh (present-day Iran) were all named after the royal family members. "

Some of the traditions prevailed in the past, are long gone. Talking about these traditions can introduce them to people. Hangouts or managing hangouts that was prevailing in the past and today, perhaps even no one has heard of, is one of these traditions: "From the Safavid era onwards, there were places in every neighborhood of different cities in Iran where the elderly would get together and look for solutions to people's personal problems or disputes between people. In each of these places there were people who were more prominent than others and called hangout managers. "They were respected by the people and their words bore credit."

It is also mentioned that intellectuals did not have an effective presence in the political arena of the country at the time and most of the social affairs were managed by market forces. In the meantime, the names of people like Haj Mohammadreza Charmforush, the head of the leather merchants’ union, Mirza Ali Sa’atsaz; Kadkhodazadeh, Haj Mohammad Hussein Kharazi; Mashhadi Ismail Karimabadi, the head of the café owners’ union, Haj Mohammad Hussein Moin ol-Roaya, the head of the grocery store owners’ union, Haj Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Rasekhafshar and Sheikh Zine El Abidine Shahosseini were prominent featuers.

Political parties, 1953 Iranian coup d'état and flood in Javadieh

The content of the book gradually departs from the history of the neighborhoods and moves towards the dominant political and social climate of the country at the time. World War II in Iran affected agricultural production and caused famine about which the book reads: "Items such as wheat and sugar became extremely scarce. Everything was produced in Iran, and even beef, lamb and pork were sent to Russia. Famine increased mortality. "The inability of the Iranian government, which was not able to provide for the people under the pressure of the Allied Forces, convinced the wealthy to set up associations to help the poor and needy."

The first chapter of the book, "From Birth to Entering the Political Arena," presenting relevant content is linked to the second chapter, "In the Field of Politics to 1953 Coup  D’état." This chapter deals with the activities of the parties in the 1940s, such as the National Will Party, the Tudeh Party, the Iranian Party, and the Democratic Party of Iran, but most of the material is about the 1953 coup. One part of the book reads as follows: "Most of the people in this group held clubs and chanted slogans in favor of the Shah and against Dr. Mossadegh. Their slogans were eternal life to the king, down with Mossadegh, long live Mohammad Reza Shah. In addition, they used ugly and rancid rhetoric ... It was in the afternoon that two trucks filled with women got to the Sarcheshmeh intersection from Tupkhaneh Square. The women had tied their veils to their waist and chanted slogans against Dr. Mossadegh. I heard rumors that these women were brought from a notorious neighborhoods of Tehran in Qazvin Gate. "

In this book, in addition to political issues, Hussain Shah Hosseini talks about social events, including the flood of Javadiyah: “In the spring of 1961, a short while after the rule of Ali Amini’s government, a terrible flood ran down the mountains around Imamzadeh Davood Shrine towards south of Tehran through Kan river and since the creeks were not dredged, it destroyed the neighborhoods of southern Tehran, especially the houses of Javadiyeh ... It is when the National Front, in a political attempt, decided to aid the flood stricken communities."

1963 demonstrations to the victory of the Islamic Revolution

In chapter six, the content evolves around the 1963 demonstrations to the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1978. This chapter discusses Tayyib Haj Reza'i and Haj Ismail Reza'i and their social and political activities during the 1963 demonstrations, but more emphasis is placed on the social activities of the two men who built houses for Tehran prostitutes and arranged their lives for the mid-Sha’ban celebrations opposite to PepsiCola factory. This is when the struggles of the people against the Pahlavi government takes a more serious form gradually leading to the events of the 1970s. In this decade the Shah decides to take control of the crisis by manipulating the influence of the prominent features of the National Front. Allahyar Saleh is offered to become the prime minister but he declines.

The departure of the Shah from Iran and the victory of the Islamic Revolution is also in this chapter. The seventh chapter is about "The Presidency of the Physical Education Organization", which is headed by the book's narrator. Chapter eight also introduces clerics and political activists.

Oudlajan Charitable Association, political hangouts, mosques and religious committees, nationalization of the Oil Industry, Dr. Mossadegh's Government, from 1951 uprising to the 1953 coup, National Resistance Movement, Ayatollah Haj Seyed Reza Zanjani, Dr. Hossein Fatemi, National Front Congress, the political activities of Takhti, the formation of the Iranian Society for Human Rights, the welcoming committee, the victory of the Revolution, the sports clubs and Iran's participation in the world championships are some of the different parts of this book.

Seventy years of Sustainability

Seventy Years of Sustainability is one of the books in the field of oral history. This book has many features; it explores the events of various historical periods in Iran. Memories are less heard. The slogan and the judgment have been avoided in expressing these memories. It should be added that in the book Seventy Years of Sustainability both old neighborhood traditions and customs are expressed through general as well as political memories. San Hussein Shah Hosseini, the narrator of the book, has the advantage of seeing different periods and telling the events of this periods well to the audience.

The memories of this book are so clear, as if they are well reserved in the mind of the narrator. These features make Seventy Years of Sustainability a remarkable book.

In addition to the "Documents and Pictures" presented in the visual chapter, there are also photo-related topics between the book's contents and diaries. Each chapter of the book ends with a section called "Chapter Notes", which is a brief introduction of the persons mentioned in each chapter. The final chapter of the book also deals with a detailed introduction to individuals, including clergy and political activists.

"Seventy Years of Sustainability" is a book on oral history; a topic that has been focused on since the 1990s, and now many people are involved in the field. Gathering these memories recounted by people directly involved in the events, form documents about contemporary Iranian history that can be effective in choosing the path to the future. Seventy Years of Sustainability is also one of them.

It is worth mentioning that the narrator was deceased in the winter of 2017.