# Iran: Province of Gilan

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Moojan Momen, Iran: Province of Gilan, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Iran: Province of Gílán
> 
> Moojan Momen
> 
> 1994
> 
> Gílán is a northern province of Iran occupying the western
> half of the south Caspian littoral. Like Mázandarán, it has
> a semi-tropical climate and dense vegetation. The people speak a distinctive
> dialect of Persian called Gílakí.
> The Bahá'í Faith was slow in becoming established in Gílán.
> There had been some Bábís in Rasht who had followed
> Mírzá Asadu'lláh Dayyán in the confused state
> that followed the martyrdom of the Báb. Nothing much is known of
> these Dayyánís and they presumably died out as a group (ZH6:923).
> A small group of Bábís migrated from Qazvín to Láhíján
> and established a community there. One of their number, Áqá
> Siyyid Javád, had been a Shaykhí and he succeeded
> in converting a number of Láhíján residents. When
> Áqá Siyyid Javád became an Azalí and he tried
> to keep his small group of converts from the other Bábís
> of Láhíján who had become Bahá'ís. One
> day, however, when Áqá Siyyid Javád was away in Qazvín,
> one of these converts, Mírzá `Alí-Ashraf (better
> known as the poet `Andalíb, q.v.), searched out the Bahá'ís
> and became convinced of their truth. Later, Mírzá `Alí-Ashraf
> succeeded in converting Áqá Siyyid Javád as well as
> the others of the Azalí group (EB 62-64).
> 
> These Qazvíní and Láhíjání
> Bahá'ís were responsible for taking the Bahá'í
> Faith to Rasht. Hájí Nasír Qazvíní,
> a survivor of Shaykh Tabarsí, together with `Andalib
> and others moved to Rasht and, by 1296/1879, there were some 20
> Bahá'ís in the community there and the numbers continued
> to increase thereafter. During the general persecution of Bahá'ís
> which erupted in 1300/1882 and affected several Iranian cities, 11 of the
> Bahá'ís of Rasht and 3 Bahá'ís in Láhíján
> were imprisoned and Hájí Nasír and one other died
> in prison (ZH 6:928-30; EB 69-72).
> 
> After the passing of Bahá'u'lláh, Áqá Jamál
> Burújirdí travelled through the province and tried to raise
> support for Mírzá Muhammad `Alí, but had little success.
> There was an upheaval against the Bahá'ís in 1903 when a
> picture of the Bahá'í community of Rasht fell into
> the hands of the mullás who tried to get the people in the photograph
> arrested and punished. One prominent Bahá'í, Mírzá
> Ibrahím Khán Ibtiháju'l-Mulk, was banished
> for a time to Tehran but the governor managed to maintain the peace. In
> 1340/ 1921, however, Ibtiháju'l-Mulk was killed during the disturbances
> caused by the uprising of the Jangalís.
> 
> With the development of Russian territory, the ship from Rasht
> to Baku became one of the commonest routes for Bahá'í pilgrims
> to `Akká. Numerous prominent Bahá'í teachers travelled
> through Rasht. The first Spiritual Assembly of Rasht was
> established in about 1315/1897. A number of Jewish families became Bahá'ís.
> 
> Bibliography
> 
> Mírzá Yahyá `Amídul-Atibbá, History
> of the Bahá'í Faith in Rasht, written 1345/1926, photocopy
> of mss in Afnán Library. Also memoires of Mírzá Mihdíy-i-Tabíb,
> photocopy of mss in Afnán Library. ZH6:923-974; 8b:757-799.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views7780 views since posted 2010-08-10; last edit 2022-02-05 04:07 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../momen_encyclopedia_gilan
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> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/3492
> Citation: ris/3492
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> — *Iran: Province of Gilan (Used by permission of the curator)*