Earlier 1340s S.H. when the total policy of the Baha’is was to enter into confiscating lands, the Baha’ism agents such as Mansour Rowhani became the minister of agriculture. During this period of time and in Bahaism land grabbing domain, the Baha’is were extremely active in buying and selling Tehran lands and in stock market and gained huge amount of money.
Abdul Karim Ayadi started and intensified his outstanding activities. After terrestrial reforms and unprecedented attack to the capital city by villagers and increasing oil incomes, a great problem was happened called the lack of building. For this reason, the planning organization presented the plan for developing building and the Shah approved it.
Since Ayadi and his companions such as Nasiri, Parviz Khorawani and some other people were aware before approving and could confiscate desirable lands which were in lack of owners or belonged to those who weren’t influential such as inhabitants of Sa’dat Abad, Vanak and Evin.[1]
Alongside with confiscating civil lands, Ayadi also confiscated people’s lands entitled the national lands cooperated by his agents such as Mansour Rowhani and Nasiri.
After establishing the ministry of natural resources which was superficially created aiming preserving jungles, the ministry of natural resources confiscated jungles where possessed owners or claimants by the force of gendarme and divided them among the courtiers and the agents of the regime like Ayadi and Nasiri to build chick towns.[2]
Ayadi acted misusing the intelligent service rents which were superficially legitimate. For instance; due to his vicinity with high-ranking officials, he became aware that such and such region in Tehran or Bandar Abbas was to enter into bounds. He was buying the lands of those regions really cheaply along with his coreligionists.
SAVAK documents and the memoirs of Pahlavi era men are well indicating the corruptly activities of Ayadi in confiscating lands. For example, SAVAK documents report about confiscating 10-hectare land on Ordibehesht 13, 1349 S.H. in the southwest of Ghoo Hotel by Ayadi.[3]
Ali Khani, the minister of economy and of the technocrats of Pahlavi government says about the reasons for Ayadi’s accumulating wealth:
“Its reason never became clear for me because he both received money and confiscated the land. There was a park created in the west of Tehran city attempted by late Riyahi, the then minister of agriculture and Golsorkhi, his assistant. The park was so-call angular because in the north of it, there was a land where had been registered by Ayadi himself.
It was really strange because it was in the desert and dry river. Basically, why had Ayedi registered it for himself?
The day when the Shah was to come to open the park… and asked him: Why didn’t you join this land to park? It is said: Here is general Ayadi’s. The Shah became quite silent.
When the Shah left, Riyahi said to me: when a person is the special physician of a person, he/she can do everything. Nearly, everybody who wanted to work basically and was in touch with Ayadi didn’t like him.[4]
To answer this question: Maybe Ayadi received this money to help the Baha’i community of Iran or abroad, Ali Khani answered: “I don’t know at all.”[۵]
Ali Shahbazi, the personal guard of Muhammed Reza Pahlavi writes as his memoirs about the difference and dispute between Ayadi and Minbashiyan, the commander of land force of the army concerning the issue of purchasing land and building organizational houses for army officers which ended in the victory of Ayadi and Minbashiyan’s dismissal.
“I remember general who Minbashiyan who was the commander of land force of army had decided to buy land nearby Tehran city to build houses for the army offices.
Minbashiyan had gone towards Karaj road and had become aware of this issue that from electricity to nearly Karaj city belong to Dr. Ayadi and so did Meskar Abad and Varamin.
One day in Sa’d Abad palace when general Minbashiyan had an appointment with the king, he encountered with Dr. Ayadi in the palace and said to him as soon las he saw him:
Mr. General Dr. Ayadi, I think you have made fence for the lands of futurity in advance! Mr. Dr., the Iranian people hate the court and courtiers for reasons. People like you have made the court notorious. Shame on you! What do you and bleep Dr. Ram do with all of these lands. I will report about this issue when I see the Shah!
However; the conditions changed and after the meeting, Minbashiyan’s conditions became worse to such an extent that he was dismissed.”
Even, Ayadi committed various corruptions with the excuse of building palace for the king which were revealed years later by the men of that period of time:
“During the recent years, I figured out that it was for a palace in Farrokh Abad to be built due to my relationships with high-ranking officials and people in charge.
Farrokh Abad was located at eastern Tehran city on the foot of a mountain. There were royal stable, palace and buildings from Qajar periods of time where the Shah and Asadullah Alam were riding hose each Friday.
Not only Ayedi, but also his coreligionist such as Habib Sabet were confiscating lands. Using the influence and backing of Ayadi, Habibh Sabet confiscated Khargoush Darreh (the present place of Arj company in Karaj road) lands and then he divided some pieces of the glass company, Mina and his maternal uncle’s sons (the Arjmands) to run Arj company. Meanwhile, he turned over another piece of land to the Jewish Moses Bahari to run Zagros refrigerator company.[6]
Using his influence and various methods, Ayadi increased his wealth; for instance in 1353 S.H., the then managing director of the company wrote and announced Ayadi that according to the decision of the board of directors of the company one million and five hundred tummans have been deposited in your account by hard sugar company of Dezfoul city.[7]
Misusing his influence and using various rants, he possessed long-termed taxation exemptions.[8] One of the topics concerning Ayadi is that when he left Iran and resided in France, he has died, in poverty. Nevertheless; according to documents, he has transferred a part of his properties when he leaves the country late Pahlavi regime.
Source; Reza Qaribi, the wealthy Baha’i people and Pahlavi regime, pp. 162-170
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[۱] Masoud Behnoud from Seyyed Ziya’ to Bakhtiyar, p.600.
[۲] Ibid, p.655.
[۳] Document No. N/3/25, N-5/2; archive of the center for investigating the historical documents of the intelligent service ministry.
[۴] The memoirs of Dr. Ali Naghi Ali Khani, the minister of economy (1341-1348), the oral history of the Iranian studies foundation, a dialogue with Gholam Reza Afkhami (the attendant of the archive of the Iranian studies foundation), third edition, Abi publishing house, 1385 S.H., pp. 252-253.
[۵] Ibid, p. 253
[۶] Ahmad Allahyari, the hidden half, vol.31, P. 187.
[۷] Mir Samad Mousawi, Abdul Karim
[۸] Ibid, p. 228.
