By: Sajjad Jamshidi
Hojabr Yazdani is one of the famous and contentious characters of late years of Muhammad Reza kingdom. He changed into the richest man of 1350s in Iran due to having relationships with the Baha’ism economic network supporting by Abdul Karim Ayadi and Mansour Rowhani.
He was first a herdsman in Sangsar. He was born in 1313 S.H. in Sangsar and was the offspring of Reza Gholi, one of Reza Khan’s irregular troops.
Yazdani got married twice. First in 1331 S.H, he got married with a Baha’i woman called Bahmaneh Derakhshani in Baha’i customs.
The second was a Muslim woman from Iraq. Its document was set by the Baha’i assembly.
Hojabr started his grazing job in Sangsar. He could develop in meat market by expanding domesticated animals. He could pass the levels of economic development supported by the Baha’i community, Pahlavi court (Abdul Reza, Mahmoud Reza, Shams Pahlavi and Abdul Karim Ayadi).
He gained a legendary wealth by buying company shares. Fardoust writes about him: “Hojabr Yazdani changed into a power supported by Ayadi and bought extensive lands in Bakhtaran, Mazandaran, Isfahan and etc. it was clear for me that all these sums of money belonged to Baha’ism and Yazdani delt for them but by his name. Most people believed that he was the representative of the Baha’is.
Yazdani owned numorous lands and factories supported by Abdul Karim Ayadi and Hoveida.
Fardoust writes: “I remember I received a complaint from the special office of Shah nearly 1354 S.H. concerning this issue that Hojabr Yazdani has invaded the herdsmen’s pastures and troubled them. Muhammad Reza Shah ordered for inquiry and commissioned two officers there. They returned and reported: The residents of Marzan Abad are all Baha’is and their head is Hojabr Yazdani. They faked possession of the nearly pasture belonged to Muslims. The next day, Ayadi phoned and said: Shah showed me the report. It was tendentious. I said to Shah: He order an impartial board to be despatched. Anyway, Yazdani continued his job.
Concerning Jahanbakhsh murder, Ayadi supported Yazdani, too. Jahanbakhsh Anhari was one of the employees of Hojabr Yazdani. Jahanbakhsh had opposed some of the policies of Hojabr Yazdani and hadn’t cooperated with him in assassinating 8 people whom Hojabr had considered them as the barriers for his development. So, Hojabr’s people hit him and eventually he died after two years and a half.
Source: Abdul Karim Ayadi’s book narrated by SAVAK, edited by: Mir Samad Mousawi, the center for the Islamic Revolution center, 1390 S.H.; the study of Baha’ism movement, Ali Reza Muhammadi, the center for knowledge publication, 1391 S.H.
