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Baba Safari, the Father of History of Ardabil, Azarbaijan/Iran

Born in Ardabil on October 2th, 1920 Passed away in Stockholm, Sweden at 8: 10 am on July 14th, 2003 1930-1939: Elementary & High School (Taddayon in Ardabil & Daneshsara College in Tabriz) 1939-1943: Teacher; Purandokht & Saadi Schools) 1945-1948: School of Law; University of Tehran 1946-1949: Daneshsara-ye-Ali College in Tehran; Philosophy, Pedagogy and Administration 1949: The Deputy Director; Ministry of Culture in Ardabil 1950: married with the daughter of one of the pro-democracy personalities in Ardabil; Mrs. Vahebzadeh. 1951: Director for the Abou-Reyhan-Birouni High School in Tehran 1952-1953: Mayor of Ardabil 1953: harassed by the Colonel Masoumi, the Police chief in Ardabil after the military coup of the foreign powers; the USA and the Britain; hiding, but he was supported from the people, especially by the highly respected clerics of mosques and also the businesmen. 1953-1960: Master Sc. for Administration and public service. 1961-1978: The Senior Assistant Deputy Prime Minister (The Pilgrimage & Endowment Affairs, in the Oghaf organization of Iran. 1978: Retired. 1979: After the emergence of the Islamic Revolution, people, who know his achievments during the era of Dr. Mossadegh, his deepl knowledge on the Islamic laws and also his outstanding achievements in the Iranian Pilgrimage and Endowment Affairs(Oghaf), enthusiatistically invited him for his candidacy in the Majlis (Parliament); and in the election over 28,000 people in the city voted for him, but the misusing of geography in the politics of elections from the center, encountered with the honesty of votes of people; the authorities combined the votes from Ardabil with those from other villages and small cities around Ardabil, where they had the large population; by so doing, they prevented Mr. Baba Safari his victory. 1985-2003: Baba Safari and his wife, Mrs. Vahebzadeh left Iran for Stockhom; they have 3 of their children in Sweden (the eldest son is living with his family in Tehran).On Monday, at 8:10 am, July 14th, 2003, Baba Safari, after the short period of illness (kidney and heart) passed away. His Mazar is in the cemetery of Behesht-e-Zhara in Ardabil (Artists-section). Before his death, Baba Safari wished his grave to be put under the feet of studnets at the university; his hope was on the activities of students; he alwayes emphasized: the studnets are those people, who will change everything for the interests of our people; they are those, who will bring democracy, freedom and prosperity; they will make history.

From Nizhny-Novogbrord (Gorky city) in Russia To Ardabil:

His father, Abdolazim, was a successful and hard working merchant in the Nizhny-Novogorod(Ни́жний Но́вгород)---from 1932 to 1990 was known as Gorky (Го́рький) after the writer Maxim Gorky--- in Russia. He was trading the Iranian goods and proudcts there. He also was trading in other markets of Russia; such as the Hadjii-Tarkhan,a city in the low Volga and Baku in Azarbaijan. The overthrow of the Tsarist regime, Nicholai-II and the emergence of the Russian October revolution by the leadership of Veladimir Ilich Olianov (Lenin) in 1917, brought shocks and devastation to the businessmen and mecrchants; they lost their wealth; Abdolazim also lost his wealth. The political situation around the world and specifically in the Ottoman's empire and in Caucasus were dramatically against the muslims; the Ottomon empire was at the end and many cities of Turks were under occupation of the Western powers and in Caucasus were civil wars. And since 1907-1917, the Persia was under the interest spheres of Russia and the Britain. Abdolazim fled to the south, to his city Ardabil, where he bgan a new life.

Education:

The education in Ardabil was the intensive Islamic religious training that commenced in early childhood. When the children aged five and sometimes continued until age twenty, children needed to attend in maktabs; sometimes these maktabs were affiliated with mosques in different Ardabil'municipalities. The literacy rate remained very low, especially among women, who were deprived because of some religious and tradition's barriers; few women were allowed to attend school. Like many of his generation, Baba Safari's education was deeply influenced by tradition, religion and studying for a better life. The views of his parents shaped his values and virtues. Baba's relation with his father, Abdolazim, who was a respected and religious very close and very friendly. Such close association enabled Baba Safari to be influenced for his way for being a God-loving man and a philanthropist. His father, Abdolazim, was a man of discipline; this is precisely what Baba Safari learned from his own father; to bring to bear upon his work his erudition, experience and training to explore the historical facts, the achievements of the great personalities by focussing on the bitter realities.

The Dawn of Learning: What Were Working in Baba's Early Childhood Education:

Knowledge from the Islamic point of view is that which liberates the human being from the shackles of ignorance. His father, Abdolazim introduced his six-yer-old son to a maktab in Ardabil, where a woman, Ms. Roubaba-Akhound-Badjji was teaching some basic lessons of Quran and also the persian alphabet. The word ‘maktab’ comes from the Arabic “kataba” to write because it was the place where the child first learns to read and write the Arabic alphabet. It is the place where they will learn “adab” or comportment. The teachers in maktabs were not always highly qualified and had other religious duties, and the equipment of a maktab was often simple. Mrs. Roubaba Akhond-Badjji taught him that the first word of the very first revelation “iqra” is marking their radical departure from the “age of ignorance” or what is called the age of “Jahelliyyat” to an age of learning; an age of literacy. The people, who are "Jahill", are ignorants. Many maktabs became accessible to everyone in all cities,including Ardabil in Azarbaijan, despite Iran (former Persia) was divided to the 2 intersts' spheres of the Anglo-Russ's powers after the constitutional revolution in 1906; Iranians, including Azeri people in Ardabil, whose religion is Islam, didn't want to send their children to the western-style schools; therefore they were sending them to the maktbas as a logical response to the challenge, which they had learned under the word of ‘iqra.’ In Ardabil, the religious people believed that the maktab is the place where their sons will engage in the traditionally programs of literacy for the sake of God.In the maktab, Baba Safari was taught, he must begin his education by first learning to recognize the Arabic characters as their first step in trying to understand the meaning of the divine message encoded in the Quran. Baba Safari's second maktab was the maktab of Mr. Mir-Mahmoud Khorasani in the Pir-Abdol-Malik's quarter in Ardabil. And finally, his third maktab was the maktab of Hajji-Mirza-Mohsen Khoshnevis, where he was instructed the higher levels of his elementary education in maktabs;Qur'an recitation, reading, writing, and grammar.

April 1930

In the last days of the April in 1930, Baba Safari, for the first time in his life visited the level-II class in the "Taddayon elementary school"; here, in the final exams of his class, Baba ranked to Nr. 3 among his classmates and received a special pen with the picture of the Reza shah on it. On that time in Ardabil, many parents were thinking traditional and religious; they didn't allow their daughters to go to schools, which had the foreign name of "OUSHGULLA" (equals to school); and also many parents didn't want even their sons to go to these foreign named schools. Mr. Taddayon, the director of school instead of using of " USHGULLA" which is a foreig name, used the name of " DABBESTAN", which didn't provoke the traditional and religious people; also he named the history and geography " Maarfe-Al-Arz" and by doing so, he escaped from any confrontational approach for educating of pupils.

Taddayon School in Ardabil

The Taddayon school was a modern school with an excellent director, who was one of the intellectual of the city; Mr. Taddayon, 35, used the method of giving of different prizes as the "Prix" for encouraging of the pupils, who were ranking to Nr. 1 to 3; with his method, he encouraged a constructive competition for more and productive learning instead of meomorazing for the exams. Every year in the July, the parents of students were invited as the audience in the yard of school and after their presence and pupils, he was giving the certificates of all pupils and finally Mr. Taddayon was honouring the best pupils by different prizes (Prix).

Baba Safari Ranked To The First Place In The Province In The Final Exams In The Primary School (Level -6):

The final exams in the elementary school (the level 6) was different than other regular exams in the schoo; they were taking place with the standard questions from the province at the same time in Azarbaijan; Baba Safari as an excellent pupil ranked to Nr. 1 among all pupils in the province; he was honoured with the two volumes of the No-Bahar-Dictionary (Persian Dictionary); its price was estimated in the bookstore of the city about 20 Tooman (Perisian Money) on that time, which was a huge money. His parents were not rich for preparing all necessities for Baba's high school; therefore thay sold this 2 volumes dictionary, of course with some reduction, in the bookstore of " Kheir" in Ardabil. The money was spent for buying of a suitable costume, whose material was marked with a Kazerounian trademark and a pair shoes and a hot for Baba's high school.

Baba Safari was very bright and quick with learning as well as popular among the other school children. He also started to become famous among the other students for helping them if they needed any tutorial needs.

Fortunately, the Taddayon school had the low levels for the classes in high school; Baba visited these elementary levels there, but for the higher levels of classes in high schoool, he need another scholl; he was sent to the elementary college of Tabriz (Daneshsara-ye-Moghadamati; Tabriz is the center of the province Azarbaijan. Mr. Baba Safari, enthusiastically learned his lessons; he  finished his college in July,1939; in his final exams, he ranked to the first palce among all students in this college; by his excellent achievements in his final exams, together with his diploma, he was also honoured by a scientific medal, which was given by the authorities of college in Tabriz.

 Baba Safari As A Teacher in Ardabil

In 1939, he was employed as a teacher in the Pouran-Dokht primary school in Ardabil; and after 2 years teaching and experiences in the school, in 1941 during the time of occupation of Iran by the British and the Russian troops in the Second World War and exiling of the Shah Reza Pahlavi by the Anglo-Russ powers--- he was appointed as the director of " Saadi" school in Ardabil.

History: It must be added that the former Persia, after the constitutional revolution in 1906, one year later in 1907, unfortunately was divided to the interest spheres of the Russia and the Britain (1907-1917). And in August 1919, according to the Voussougholdoleh Agreement, British government made Persia, its protectrate (a kind of colony).

In 1943, Baba Safari Decided to Leave Ardabil for Tehran:

After 4 years teaching in schools, Baba Safari felt he wants more success and grasping to the updated knowledge than staying in Ardabil.

In Novemeber 1943, on the time, when Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh came out from his long time political isolation (Reza Shah Pahlavi caused to his isolation), Baba Safari decided to Aradbil for Tehran. It was the difficult time of the World War-II- (two years after the Reza shah's exile to the south Africa) to the south Africa. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi succeeded his father; the Western powers supported from shah. The ministry of culture appointed Baba Safari as an educational officer for pupils of the " Soraya" school in Tehran; it was located in the downtown of Tehran, on the "Khayyam" Street in Bazaar of Tehran; in the opposite side to the Seyed-Nassreddin's mosque.

Baba Safari had ambitions for successes and the great achievments in his jobs; he decided to study law. For studying in the law school, he needed a diploma with the special emphasis on the litrature. In 1945, he prepared himself for those exams and successfully passed them. Baba Safari received his diploma in the field of litrature. In the same year, he participated in the entrance exams for the law school at Tehran university; he passed the exams. He began his education in the law school.

The Study of Philosophy,Pedagogy and Public Relations in 1946:

In 1946, the government of Iran passed a new legislation: "if those people, who have finished their high school's diploma in the elmentary college (Daneshsara) and have also about 5 years experiences for teaching in the schools, according to this new legislation thay are allowed to study in the college for the higher education (Daneshsaraye-Alee) with this condition, when they can pass the entrance exams for this college. The government added: "those people, who are studying in this college, are called the official employees of the ministry for culture and hence thay are receiving full salaries and advanatges without particpation for teaching in the schools." Baba Safari participated in the exams of this college and successfully passed the needed exams in October 1946; he was one of first people and participants, who benefited from this new legislation. In 1946,after his exams, Baba Safari was enrolled in the faculy of philosophy, public relation and pedagogy; and he studied all these courses in parallel with his main studies in the law school of the Tehran university.

Baba Safari was graduated from the law school in 1948; and he finished the philosophy, the public relation and the pedagogy one year later in 1949

In 1948, he finished his law school and one year later in 1949, he finished his school in the college. With hi excellent education, the ministry of culture appointed him as the deputy director of the ministry of culture in Ardabil, where he liked more to work.In 1949, Baba Safari began to work as the deputy director of the ministry of culture in Ardabil; his priorities in the ministry were clear; the elemination of illitracy and brining of the culture of productivity and learning to his city. After 18 months working in the ministry of culture, in a time of tensions in the Iranian relations with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Compnay (AIOC) and the British government. Baba Safari, after fulfillment of some important parts of his plans for education in Ardabil,he returned to Tehran. This time, the ministry of culture appointed him as the director to a high school of Tehran, Abou-Reyhan-e-Birooni, which was one of the most important schools in the city. As it was mentioned above, this time was very difficult time in history of country and the government of Dr. Mohamad Mossadegh was confronting with the political tricks of AIOC and the British government around the world. After the memebers of the Majlis (parliament) accepted the nationalization of the Iranian oil in 1951, the government of Britain imposed sanctions against Iranian oil and in 1952, USA followed the steps of the British governemnt. Dr. Mossadegh had no more the oil's revenues; he administrated the country without oil. Because of his legitime politics for the nationalization of Iranian oil, he and his government was attacked by the Anglo-USA in the political arena by other Western powers. Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was governing only with an econmoy without any oil's revenues. The British government wanted to exploit all Iranian oil without paying any legitime shares and Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was ready to give his life for his legitime policies due to the nationalization of the Iranian oil. Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh's government established a democratic government on the basis of democaratic values and gave his hopes to people of Iran. In the autumn of 1952, the people of Ardabil and the city councillors, who knew the values of Mr.Baba Safari and his works in the ministry of culture, voted for him; they elected him as their new mayor. Some councillors traveled to Tehran and took Baba Safari to a small town, "Nameen", which is near Ardabi; there many people of Ardabil gathered for welcoming their popular new mayor; from the Nameen, people took Baba Safari to his city Ardabil, where Baba Safari began his job as the new mayor. The next day, after his speechs and giving some guidelines, Baba began his works. One of his very most importanyt pirorities was a new policy for the sweepers of the city for a better cleaning. Baba Safari knew the health of people of Ardabil lies on the field of cleaning of the city; the cleaning of different quarters in Ardabil were given equally to the city's sweepers and it was expected every single dificulties must be reported to the centre and the central authorities must rationally manage and eleminate all difficulties within 24 hours, which were confronted by the sweepers. By implementing this policy, the sweepers of the city achieved to the highest respect and the city was clean. At the begin of job of Baba safari as the mayor, the city's office had only 3 Rls and 75 Dinars and a huge amounts debts without any hope for payment, but after the coup-d'etat of the British and USA's government and overthrown of the democratic elected government of Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953, Baba Safari, als was forced to resign after 9 months hard working;his management resulted to about 10,000,000 Rls money in the city's office without any debts.Baba Safari managed the city's vital affairs without any access to the revenues from oil.Many friends to Baba Safari advised him for rejecting of the mayoral job, but Baba Safari emphasized to his responsibility as a teacher; he said, I am a teacher; before I taught in the schools and now, I accept the responsibility of a big school, which resembles itself as a city; I hope, by seeing my works, many people will be full aware of the responsibility of the city's office and its authorities and also the people's own social responsibility. Although from the nine months responsibility and works of Baba Safari as the Ardabil's mayor, about five months was in the cold time of cold weather and winter, but his acomplishments for the city and people are huge. Baba safari said to his friends, althouth the time of this big schoool, which resembled itself as the city was short, but I am thankful and I pray God that the results were huge and led to the social and structural changes in Ardabil.

As countries modernize and develope to the true democracy and freedom with prosperity and spiritual life for all citizens, they tend to honour their treasures. Baba Safari was a treasure of Iranians, including Azeri people, who saw him as a pro-democracy fughter in all fronts. He linked his inteligence to the day-to-day living of every individual in Iran. The manifestation of Baba Safari's goals put him in a position to leave those he affected with an indelible impression, an impression that stemmed from his general depth and sincerity as a person. For each role he operated in, that meant showing a different side of himself. Baba Safari encouraged every individual to work hard and honestly; he never settled for negligence, but he always had a fun way to help people learn. He was as a teacher for World Civilization during his productive life. He was pro-demcracy and pro merit. He was the poular mayor of Ardabil during the era of Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh (1952-1953). He was the reformer of Iranian the Pilgrimage & Endowment Organization in more than 17 years in Oghaf. Many students have lost a real father; a father for their history; a father for their education; a father for their schools; a father, who was pro-democracy and pro merit. People of Iran have lost a great man and a tresure, who was full aware of the Islamic laws for Muslims and he was a man, who gave the structural reforms to the Pilgrimage and Endowment of Iran (Oghaf) for better performances to people of Iran. He was a symbol for promoting of modernity and progress. His Mazar(grave)is located in the Behesht-E-Zahra cemetery of Ardabil; in the section for the artists and scienetists.