By Ayelet Rubin, National Library of Israel
The Eran Laor Cartographic Collection at the National Library holds an intriguing map with a particular focus on Iran. Much has changed since it was published nearly 80 years ago.
The 1940s map presents the Middle East from an Iranian perspective. Iran is highlighted in yellow, standing out from the uniform green of the surrounding countries. In the margins appears a Persian calendar, a solar calendar used in Iran and Afghanistan.
Portraits of regional leaders are arranged in two rows. The three figures seen as most influential from the Iranian point of view are enlarged and placed in the top row. On the left is Stalin, in the center is Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and to the right is Great Britain’s King George VI.
These figures reflect the influence Britain and the Soviet Union held in Iran at the time. When Reza Shah Pahlavi’s father rose to power, he relied on British support to help establish a modern regime. In 1941, during WW II, British and Soviet forces invaded Iran. A British-Soviet agreement guaranteed Iran’s territorial integrity and promised the withdrawal of foreign forces after the war. In practice, Iran remained divided between British and Soviet zones of control until 1946, when both powers finally withdrew.
In the lower row, on the far left, is Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, founder and first king of Saudi Arabia. Among the leaders beside him are King Faisal II of Iraq, shown as a child, and King Farouk of Egypt.
The map also reflects the region’s geopolitical situation, with references to the Saadabad Pact, a non-aggression treaty signed in 1937 by Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, beneath the Turkish flag appears the caption: “Through the Saadabad Pact, [Turkey] is united with the imperial state of Iran and with Britain, with whom it holds a mutual assistance agreement.” A similar reference is printed over the Iraq region.
The British Empire is also noted, for example, in the label across Transjordan.
Scattered across the map of Iran are illustrations of notable sites in key cities, including Mashhad, which is home to the Imam Reza Shrine, a holy site for Shiite Muslims.
Mashhad was once home to a large Jewish community, before a 1839 pogrom that killed thousands and forcibly converted thousands more. Ketubahs from that community are available in the NLI’s digital archives, as is a Muslim marriage contract from the community of forcibly converted crypto Jews.
Other cities highlighted include Tabriz, known for its textile industry, Shiraz, known for its vineyards, and Isfahan, Iran’s third-most populated city that today is known for its nuclear facility. Once home to a major Jewish community, Isfahan’s Jewish community is today estimated at 1,500 people.
As Denver endodontist Dr. Robert Salehrabi, who fled Iran as a teenager, recently shared at a talk on Shavuot at BMH-BJ that prior to the Islamic revolution, Iran and Israel had good relations. There was even regular air travel between the two countries, and in 1964, NLI welcomed a professor from Isfahan University in Jerusalem.
Of course Iran’s capital city is represented — but NLI is unable to identify the building illustrated. Can anyone from Tehran identify the building?
Among NLI’s materials documenting Jewish life in Iran are a 1776 letter (it is purely coincidental that the IJN is publishing this story in its July 4 edition) from a Jerusalem emissary of the Sephardi community to the Jewish community in Mashhad requesting support for the Jerusalem community; a handwritten Bible produced in Isfahan in 1572; and letters sent by the Jewish community of Tehran to Rabbi Yaakov Shaul Elyashar, dating from the 19th century through the early 20th century.
The map’s focus on Iran is further reflected in captions relating to other countries in the region. For example, the caption over Egypt reads, “Birthplace of Her Majesty Queen Fawzia.” Fawzia, daughter of King Fuad of Egypt, was the first wife of Iran’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Flags of Iran and neighboring countries are displayed prominently. The Egyptian flag is shown with a crescent and three white stars on a green background, which was in use between 1922 and 1958. The Saudi flag appears with only a sword, without the shahada inscription it bears today.
The map also displays shipping routes, air routes, roads and railways, along with illustrations of the relevant forms of transportation. There are also images of camel caravans carrying goods along ancient trade routes.
Today, the twin-engine planes that once flew across the skies of the Middle East during WW II have been replaced by B-2 stealth bombers. One can only hope that these advances in technology will eventually help bring peace and stability to the region.
It is difficult for Jews to gain entry into Iran today and impossible for Israelis. But if the world sees a return to the days of good relations between Israel and Iran, and between Iran and the US, your circuit tour of the country is already planned.
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