Saed News: In this writing, Naser al-Din Shah refers to the joy and singing of the people on the 13th day of Farvardin; he mentions the news of the Russian emperor's assassination by pistol and calls it a strange event—unaware that nine years later, he himself would be assassinated and killed by a pistol.
According to the historical section of the Saed News analytical news website, quoting Khabar Online, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was a king who documented daily events, and among them, his account of Sizdah Bedar in the year 1266 (Solar Hijri) is particularly engaging. In this writing, he refers to the joy, dancing, and singing of the people on the 13th day of Farvardin. He discusses the news of the Russian emperor's assassination with a pistol and calls it a strange report—unaware that nine years and one month later, he himself would be assassinated with a pistol. Finally, he recounts a humorous episode involving two girls whose mother brought them to the king, and he gifted them to Mokhber al-Dowleh, leading to jokes and laughter—though Mokhber al-Dowleh’s wife took the matter seriously, became angry, and didn’t let him into the house that night!
Naser al-Din Shah wrote:
“Today is the 13th day of Nowruz. The weather was sunny, very nice, and warm. It’s springtime and the right season for everything. Never before have we seen Sizdah Bedar so pleasant, with people going out joyfully for picnics and merriment.
In the morning, as usual, I rode out and went to Doshan Tappeh. Lunch was prepared near the palace at the Doshan Tappeh hill. Aziz al-Sultan had gone ahead and was already there. The crowd along Doshan Tappeh Boulevard and the Dolab road leading to it was immense—beyond compare. Some 10 to 15 thousand people continuously streamed in.
We went straight up the hill. I saw Aziz al-Sultan playing, though he was overheated. The weather was very hot. Then we used a telescope to view the city and the surrounding areas. The gardens and outskirts of the city were remarkable. Groups of people kept arriving. One group came playing instruments with a dancer leading them, clapping and moving forward. Another group had drums and horns, playing from the time they left the city until they entered. They played very well. The crowd around the pond was so thick you couldn’t even tell if people were standing there. After sightseeing, we had lunch and resumed watching the scene… again using the telescope to view here and there. Then I felt sleepy, so they laid out bedding and I took a nap...
Three hours before sunset, I woke up, once more looked around through the telescope, enjoyed the view, performed prayers, had some tea and an afternoon snack, then got up to leave. As I stepped out, I heard a noise behind me—a foot slipped. I looked and saw Ala al-Dowleh had fallen; his foot had slipped on gravel, and he had hit the ground. The skin on his face was scraped off and bleeding heavily, yet he was still following us. I said, ‘This doesn’t look good. People might think we beat you.’ I told him to go ahead of us and wash his face. Ala al-Dowleh quietly went under the hill and washed himself. We heard nothing more from him.
We came down, boarded the carriage, and headed for Mokhber al-Dowleh’s garden. The plain was filled with people preparing to return to the city. The entire countryside was green, lush, and beautiful.
We drove to the upper gate of Mokhber al-Dowleh’s garden. The carriage stopped and we dismounted. Mokhber al-Dowleh, Nayer al-Molk, Mokhber al-Molk, the school superintendent, Mirza Ali Khan, and Mirza Jafar Khan were standing at the gate. We entered the garden, which was very delightful. Mokhber al-Dowleh had prepared an elaborate reception with sweets and everything, even though we had informed him in the morning that we would only stay for a single hookah. Still, he had gone to great lengths.
While speaking with Mokhber al-Dowleh, Mokhber al-Molk brought us a telegram, saying it was from the Qasr and Public News. Both carried strange news: the Public News reported that the Russian emperor had been shot with a pistol, and the Qasr newspaper wrote that Hessam al-Molk had attacked Javanmir Khan, bombarded him, fired many bullets, and that both sides suffered casualties. Eventually, Javanmir was wounded and captured along with his men, and his fortress was taken.
Both were astonishing news items. We strolled a bit in the garden and then walked to the Lalehzar garden. When we arrived, the crowd of men and women was remarkable. Women, men, seminarians, Seyyeds, and even the sons of Seyyed Mohsen were all there. As we moved further, women gathered around us—many of them beautiful and charming. We started talking with them. Everyone was cheerful and in high spirits. At the end of the garden, a tall woman brought her two daughters forward and presented them to us. Mokhber al-Dowleh was behind us, so we said, ‘We gift these two girls to Mokhber al-Dowleh.’ Everyone laughed.
This news reached Mokhber al-Dowleh’s wife. That night she didn’t let him into the house. She didn’t even give him dinner. No matter how much he swore, ‘By God, it’s not true,’ she insisted, ‘No! You married a woman in Lalehzar!’ So we left the Lalehzar garden, got into the carriage, and entered the inner palace.”
