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and habits do not enhance the respect due to his position. Action has been taken
against him in the Courts by his creditors and complaints against his grasping
tendencies have gone to Tehran. He incurred unpopularity, the Shirazi being a
lover of art, by ordering the removal of the old Quran Gate at the entrance to
Shiraz from Isfahan, which has been a well-known landmark for centuries. He
has made many empty promises to the merchant community regarding the im
provement of roads, joining up with the Trans-Iranian railway system, and the
financing of agricultural schemes. Though a connection of the Kajar family, he
is related to one of the Shah’s wives and owes his position to rank and influence.
Soon after his arrival, the Governor General visited the Kazerun, Fasa and Lar
districts. Since then he has never undertaken another tour in the Province except
for private amusement with his gun.
18. Dealings between the Consulate and the Governorate General have been
confined throughout the year to routine matters and have been friendly.
19. Apart from the Deputies mentioned above, no official visitors of import
ance came to Shiraz during the year. Members of the Government appear to have
lost interest in Pars. Exceptions were Sar Lashkar Jehanbani, Head of the
Department of Industry, and Aqai Bayet, Head of the Department of Agriculture
who both visited the cotton factory An East India Company trading post. at Shiraz and the sugar refinery at Merv Dasht
in the Spring and toured the Province. Most of the Provincial heads of departments
on the other hand went to Tehran at some time or other during the year.
20. Local officials have done little to attract the attention of the Consulate.
Most of the Directors of Departments remain the same, the only changes being in
the Police Department and in the Census Department.
21. The Municipality all through the year has been under the direction of
Aqa Soheily, brother of a high official in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs who has
been mentioned as a possible future Iranian Minister in London. He appears to
share the unpopularity of the Governor General and for similar reasons. His deal
ings with the public leave much to be desired. The year 1936 saw a large slice cut
through the middle of the Bazar-i-Yakil as part of the scheme for carrying the
Khiaban-i-Zand through from north to south of the town. After much demoli
tion work was stopped for lack of father funds : so a large part of the Bazaar re
mains in ruins and is a collecting place for water and malarial mosquitos. The
Khiaban has also been continued for some miles south of the town and several
houses built, mostly for the use of military and civil officials. This is said to be
the beginning of a through road to Ahwaz. The road from Isfahan has been widen
ed at the entrance to Shiraz (the discomfiture of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
which has had to modify its plans for erecting a new depot by “ arrangement ”
with the Director of the Municipality after prolonged negotiations), and the old
Quran Gate, which was alleged to impede traffic, has been removed by dynamite,
for it was found impracticable to transfer it piecemeal to another site, as had been
intended. As the traffic is in any event stopped by the Police close to the site of
the Gate, it is not appreciated why its removal was necessary. Its main crime
seems to have been its antiquity. The thousand-year old quran which it housed
has been placed in the local Museum. An ornamental almond and fruit garden
has been laid out near the site of the Gate. The Imperial Bank of Iran has had
to postpone the erection of a new building as land bought for the purpose has been
cut in two by the municipal road-making schemes.
22. The road to the Tomb of Hafiz has been re-made and work is in progress
on a road to the Tomb of Sa’adi. The reconstruction of the entire enclosure of
the Tomb of Hafiz has been commenced and the Education Department is building
an expensive granite monument with a gallery of twenty columns. A large ceme
tery in the same neighbourhood is being laid out as a public garden, the headstones
being used for making terraces.
23. A site has been purchased in the town for a new Municipal Hospital. An
Orphanage, arrangements for which were made by the late Governor General, was
opened during the year by the Municipality. Beggars are again on the increase.
24. The Chief of the Provincial Police was dismissed in the summer for corrupt
practices along with the Chief of the Town Police. His successor died shortly
after his arrival. The present Chief of Police is a courteous and pleasant indivi
dual, transferred from Hamadan. He is very interested in traffic control and exer-
cies efficient control in the Bazaars. Burglaries have been less prevalent during
1936 than in former years and the discipline of the Force seems to be good.