About

Nowadays, oral history is one of the famous and efficient approaches of historiography. The historical material for this approach is achieved by active interview and then it will be presented to society in different styles and frames. This method of historiography started by recording interviews and then developed. Nowadays some scholars and research centers prefer to record the narrators' face, feelings and behavior in addition to their voice and consequently they are interested in filming techniques.
From its beginning in 1948, this kind of historiography has been the target of sympathetic and defiant opinions. Different societies and communities were formed to fertilize and classify the information in this regard correctly and also exchange different opinions by holding specialized seminars and workshops to help the development and presentation of the idea of oral history.

In this regard, the Iranian Oral History website started its work unofficially from the February of 2008 simultaneously with the 4th Professional Iranian Oral History Seminar and inaugurated officially in February of 2009, simultaneously with the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Persian and English are the basic languages of this website.

Managers and designers of this website are of active people in the field of oral history and are trying to manage this site professionally in related subjects. So, it covers related topics such as: diaries, travelogues, chronologies, and memoirs and so on.

One of the important aims of this website is to create a proper environment for debating different thoughts and opinions in the field of oral history. The other aim of this website is to establish connections with oral history scholars and societies in and out of the country and presenting the latest oral history achievements and information via these links.

This website contemplates to make some not easily accessible published oral history documents, pictures and articles accessible for the viewers from all over the world.
The directors and the staff of this website would be pleased if you refer to the address of this website when using these materials in your works� list of references.

Since oral history is one of the most popular ways of historiography, we are planning to design a virtual training workshop in this website for all the interested people. We hope in this way all the people can play roles in conserving the culture and history of this country.
We are trying hard to minimize our weaknesses and deficiencies and in this regard we need the cooperation and assistance of you all. This website is yours and we want you to share with us in the improvement of it by presenting articles and offering your suggestions.



 

Address: Iranian Oral History Website, Hozeye Honari (Arts Center) Building, 3rd Floor, Hafez-Somayyeh crossrods, Tehran, I.R.Iran, P.O.Box: 18518/1677
 
Tel: +98-21-84172370, +98-21-81918133 (121, 217)
 


 

Memoirs of Commander Mohammad Jafar Asadi about Ayatollah Madani

As I previously mentioned, alongside Mehdi, as a revolutionary young man, there was also a cleric in Nurabad, a Sayyid, whose identity we had to approach with caution, following the group’s security protocols, to ascertain who he truly was. We assigned Hajj Mousa Rezazadeh, a local shopkeeper in Nurabad, who had already cooperated with us, ...
Excerpt from the Book of Oral History of the Army and the Islamic Revolution

Two Narratives on the Events of September 8, 1978

"On September 8, most of the military personnel feigned illness and did not participate in enforcing martial law. I know of a battalion commander who had come from Maragheh to Tehran, only to head to Shahr-e Rey to his sister's house. When his sister asked him why he had come to Tehran, he replied, 'I am a battalion commander enforcing martial law.'

How the Tabriz Army Barracks Were Seized

The major explained the plan like this: "When you first enter, tell him to hand over the weapons. Once he puts the guns on the table, grab them and give them to me, since I’m the military man here. Then, tell him to hand over his pistol as well. He might comply, or he might refuse, possibly even shooting one of you. In that case, I’ll fire back with my Uzi.

Imam Khomeini

Every time there was a message from Imam Khomeini, the people who followed their broadcasting, quickly found people like me to write the message on the screen or placard for them. On the same day when this order of the Imam arrived from Paris, one of the same comrades hurriedly came to the shop in the evening and said that a message from the Imam had just reached us.