STUDYING THE SITUATION OF ZOROASTRIANISM FROM ERA OF QAJAR TO FISRT PAHLAVI

With the entry of Islam into Iran and as it spread, Zoroastrians faced social, political and cultural deprivation. As a result, some of them converted to the Islamic religion, and only a small group remained in their religion. Some of them left home and some settled in their ancestral lands. Despite the decrease in the number of Zoroastrians in Iran until the Qajar period, at the end of this period they played an important role in the economic affairs of the country and the political events of that period, such as constitutionalism (Mashrote). The existence of important trading corporations such as Jamshidian, Jahanian, and Yeganegi in this period reflected the economic power of Zoroastrians at that time. These trading corporations were involved in various affairs, including currency exchange, banking, and landholding, given that Zoroastrians were renowned for their honesty and goodness, they were trusted by the people and the government of time. With the advent of the Constitutional Movement, the Zoroastrians, as one of the religious minorities, made the Arbab Jamshid, who had more economic influence, to represent the first National Assembly. Thus, after several centuries, the Zoroastrian community of Iran emerged from isolation. In the era of Reza Shah, due to his efforts to acquire national legitimacy, as well as the modernization of the country and the creation of a modern state, nationalist thought was seriously considered. In this process, the Zoroastrian community and its leaders played a significant role in the political, social, intellectual, and cultural developments of Iran, and tried to strengthen their thoughts and approaches, using the appropriate space of the Reza Shah period as the main heirs of ancient civilization.