Page 460 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

50 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF
This move proved successful, and resulted in the people of Ispahan in­
viting him to come and take Ispahan, which he did early in January, with the
assistance of Abdul Kasim Khan and his father Ibrahim Khan, Zcrg ham-cs-
Saltaneh of the family of Ri?a kuli knap, who for the last 15 years h ad been
' out of the 'coach1 as far as Bakkliari affairs were cohcerned.
Very slight resistance was offered, the Governor took ‘bast* (refuge) in
the British Consulate-General and Naif Kuli Khan, Samsam-es-Saltaneh,
established himself as Governor of Ispahan.
This was the first of the Bakhtiari moves, which ultimately culminated
in the taking of Tehran and the deposal of Muhammad Ali Shan.
Haji Ali Kuli Khan, Sardar Assad, accompanied by Murtaza Kuli
Khan, the eldest son of the Saracara-es-Saltaneh, arrived in Mohammerah, in
the end of March, and proceeded to Malamir en route to Ispahan, where he
arrived errly in May. Y/hile at Malamir, Haji Ali Kuh Khan, Sardar
Assad, called a meeting of the Bakhtiari Khans, the outcome of which was an
agreement between the two families to stand by each other and espouse the
Nationalist cause, one of the signatories of which agreement was Ghulam
Husein Khan, Sardar Muhtasham.
Subsequent on this agreement Ghulam Husein Khan, Sardar Muhta­
sham, raicod a force to accompany the Sardar Assad, but, owing to a quarrel,
temporarily seceded from the Nationalist cause, returned to Ardal, his head­
quarters, and sent the force so raised to the assistance of his brother Lutf
Ali Khan, Arair-i-Muffakhara, a supporter of the Royalist cause, who was
at that time incamped with a Royalist force at Khalidabad, G4 miles north of
Ispahan. About two months later, the agreement, above-mentioned, was
ratified at Dastepa, and Ghulam Husein ICban, Sardar Muhtasham, finally
threw in his lot with the other Bakhtiari Khans who had espoused the Nation­
alist cause.
On the secession of Ghulam Husein Khan, Sardar Muhtasham, and the
arrival of Haji Ali Kuli Khan, Sardar Assad, at Ispahan, Najf Kuli Khan,
Samsam-es-Saltaneh, telegraphed to Shaikh Khczal, Shaikh of Mohammerah,
that a split had occurred between the Ilkhani and Haji Ilkhani families of
Bakhtiaris, in reply to which Shaikh Khazal both telegraphically and
through His Majesty’s Consul at Ahwaz offered to act as intermediary be­
tween the two families, in accordance with the agreement made in 1908 be­
tween the Bakhtiaris and Shaikh Khazal.
Circumstances decreed however that his mediation was not necessary,
though later, in the summer, his assistance was sought for the Nationalist
cause and given in the shape of a loan of 12,000 tomans.
After much vacillation oh the part of the Bakhtiari Khans, Haji Ali
Kali Khan, Sardar Assad, decided, towards the end of June, to make the
final move which resulted, after the junction of the Bakhtiari forces with
those of the Sipabdar Reshti, in the capture of Tehran and the deposition of
Muhammad Ali Shah on the 13th July.
As the circumstances of the march on, and capture of, Tehran are outside
the purview of this Consulate, the matter is not touched on, though a few facts
regarding the Bakhtiari forces engaged on the Nationalist side may be of
interest
It is estimated that no more than 2,500 cavalry and infantry were en­
gaged in the final movement on Tehran, the chief Khans who took part in
the advance being Sardar Assad, Sardar Muhtasham and Sardar Bahadur,
Salar-i-Heshmat and Abdul Kasim Khan.
Though ft Is difficult to arrive at an accurate estimate of the Bakhtiari
casualties in the fighting which ensued, it is probable that the number did not
exceed 50. The paucity of casualties can only be attributed to the fact that,
as far as possible, the Bakhtiaris avoided doing each other much
when they came into collision, together with the fact that, at anything ex­
cept point-blank ranges, their marksmanship is most inferior.
Among the Khans of any note who were killed were Assadullab Khan,
brother of the Zecgham-es-Saltaneh, Azezullah Khan, son-in-law of the