Review of leases of Hajj Mohammad Ibrahim Malek al-Tojar Isfahani with foreign companies (1332-1335 AH)

Document Type : .

Authors

1 History faculty. Tehran University. Iran. Tehran

2 Graduated from the Department of Archival and Document Studies, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.30465/ehs.2025.51825.2043
Abstract
"This article aims to examine the form and content of contracts with foreign companies located in the Angurestan mansion, a property endowed by Haj Mohammad Ebrahim Malek al-Tojjar Esfahani in the city of Isfahan, and to compare them with the domestic leases of this merchant. It employs a descriptive-analytical approach and utilizes the content analysis method. The findings from the analysis of lease agreements concluded between this merchant and foreign companies, including Hods, Ziegler, and Lynch, indicate that the leased properties encompassed a wide range of uses, and the amounts and terms of the leases reflected the exigencies of the time. The most significant formal difference is the linguistic diversity in these documents, where English and Russian languages are used alongside Persian. This linguistic diversity reflects the expansion of Iran's commercial relations with Western countries during the Qajar period and the impact of these relations on the manner of drafting commercial contracts. Furthermore, the research shows that the writing of the formula of contract ('sighat-e-aqd') in these documents was less formal, with only one lease agreement among the examined samples containing this formula. These findings provide valuable information regarding linguistic and legal developments during the Qajar era. The results of this research demonstrate that the lease agreements concluded with European countries reflect the expansion of Iran's commercial relations with Western countries during the Qajar period and the impact of these relations on the manner of drafting commercial contracts."

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 04 October 2025

  • Receive Date 03 May 2025
  • Revise Date 14 September 2025
  • Accept Date 04 October 2025