Detail from the Tang-e Savashi relief, the Alborz mountain range, Iran, Qajar, Fath-Ali Shah (r. 1797-1834).
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (Persian: فتحعلىشاه قاجار, romanized: Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; 5 August 1772 – 24 October 1834) was the second shah of Qajar Iran, ruling from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign was marked by the permanent loss of Iran’s northern Caucasian territories—including present-day Georgia, Dagestan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia—to the Russian Empire following the Russo-Persian Wars of 1804–1813 and 1826–1828, and the treaties of Gulistan and Turkmenchay that followed. These defeats have significantly shaped his historical reputation among Iranians, many of whom regard him as an ineffective ruler.
At the same time, Fath-Ali Shah succeeded in transforming what had largely been a Turkic tribal khanate into a more centralized and durable monarchy modeled on older imperial traditions. Under his rule, Iran experienced a period of relative stability and prosperity, saw the strengthening of ties between the state and religious institutions, and witnessed the establishment of key administrative structures. His reign also encouraged a cultural and artistic revival that became a defining characteristic of the Qajar era.
Toward the end of his life, however, mounting financial difficulties and weakening military strength pushed the country toward crisis, a situation further exacerbated by the succession disputes that followed his death. Fath-Ali Shah also commissioned numerous portraits of himself and his court as instruments of royal self-promotion. Most notable among these were the rock reliefs carved at sites in Ray, Fars, and Kermanshah alongside those of the pre-Islamic Sasanian Empire (224–651), reflecting his desire to present himself not only as ruler of Iran, but as the rightful heir to ancient Persian kingship. One such inscription survives at Cheshmeh-Ali in Rey, near Tehran.
Photo: Mehr New Agency
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