Amir Garden Mansion of Tabriz

Amir Kabir was a progressive and important figure in the Qajar court who lived in Tabriz for some time and built this garden mansion, which was named Amir or Amir Garden Mansion Kabir.

Who Was Amir Kabir?

Mirza Mohammad Taqi Khan Farahani, nicknamed Amir Kabir, was born in Farahan City in 1807 AD. Mohammad Taqi’s father served as a cook in the Qajar court and this made it possible for Mohammad Taqi to study where education was provided to the children of political figures and to be able to demonstrate his talent and genius. Thereafter, he found his way into the royal courts, and after going through the ranks one after the other, he was eventually appointed as the prime minister of the country. During his short life, he contributed a lot to the progress of the country and this immortalized his name in the history of Iran. He was assassinated in the year 1852 AD.

During the reign of the Qajar king, Mohammad Shah, when Naser al-Din Mirza was the crown prince of Iran, Amir Kabir and his father were in Tabriz. After the death of Mohammad Shah in 1848 AD, Amir Kabir went to Tehran together with Naser al-Din Mirza, who was later known as Naser al-Din Shah and ruled Iran for half a century.

Mohammad Taqi Khan Amir Kabir, who held a high position in the administrative affairs of the crown prince, made the necessary preparations for Naser al-Din Mirza’s trip to Tehran. Immediately after arriving in Tehran, Naser al-Din Shah appointed Mirza Taqi Khan as his prime minister and gave him the title of Amir Kabir. Amir Kabir was in charge of this position for about three years and was able to establish the Dar al-Funun school, publish the Vaqaye-e Ettefaqiyeh Daily, organize the financial situation and do away with bribery, set up a rule for government payments, remove unnecessary titles, carry out social reforms, increase road security and create communication facilities between the cities, organize the situation of the army and security forces, fight against religious heretics, suppress internal rebellions, improve Iran’s position in international relations, and deal with the existing unfavorable conditions of Iran.

Some of these measures, such as reducing the perks received by the courtiers and preventing the granting of special privileges to foreign countries, were very progressive but created enemies for him. Therefore, the conspiracy to depose him gradually increased and, finally, Naser al-Din Shah deposed him from his ministerial post and then had him killed. Amir Kabir was killed in the Fin Bathhouse of Kashan, but years later, Naser al-Din Shah admitted his mistake in having this great man killed and that Iran had lost one of the greatest administrators of its history.

Amir Kabir’s Dwelling in Tabriz

During the Qajar era, the crown prince of the time stayed in Tabriz. Being the right hand to the crown prince, Naser al-Din Mirza, Amir Kabir, too, lived in this city and it was during this time that he built a garden mansion for himself far away from the residence of the crown prince. Due to the fact that the nobles of that time lived in the suburban areas of Tabriz, this garden mansion was also used as a resort and Amir Kabir’s temporary residence. This place was known as “Bagh-e Vazir” (Minister’s Garden) in the past. Today, the neighborhood where this garden mansion is located is also known as “Vazir Abad”. When Amir Kabir built this place, there were no residential houses around it, but today, due to the expansion of the city, the Amir Garden Mansion is a part of Tabriz City. Because of the existence of this garden mansion, the street leading to it is also named “Amir Kabir”. Many local merchants have chosen his name for their shop in honor of Amir Kabir to be the reminiscence of his high position in the history of Iran.

This garden mansion remained unused after Amir Kabir’s departure to Tehran, and many parts of it were damaged over time. Today, the rest of this garden mansion has been restored in accordance with its original form. Even though the Amir Kabir Garden Mansion looks like a park now, one can still see signs of an authentic Iranian garden mansion in it.

National Register of Amir Kabir Garden

Amir Garden Mansion of Tabriz was inscribed on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 2004 AD.