English: A Waqf document

Qajar Persia, AH 4 Jumada I 1232/2 April 1817 AD

Persian manuscript on six pieces of paper attached together with seal impressions at the joins, with lines of black shikasteh, a wide border of floral swags and similar large floral illuminated heading signed Muhammad Baqir and dated 1150 (1250?), the opening eight lines within gold clouds and numerous seals, signed by the witnesses in the margin, damp staining and tear at end 72in. (183cm.) long

This document concerns the endowment of a property in the vicinity of Chakhur Sa'd in Yerevan to the shrine of the Imam Husayn in Karbala. The donors are two brothers, Muhammad Husayn Khan and Muhammad Hasan Khan, the sons of Bahram Quli Baig Qajar of Qazvin. Every village and piece of land is listed and its custodianship given to the senior mujtahid of the time. The rest of their property is also accounted for by being passed onto either one of the brothers and then to their sons or daughters. The same applies to the property from all the income endowed to the shrine. The brothers are to be the custodians of certain mentioned property as long as they live and then it passes to the clergy.

Husayn Khan was a general of the early Qajar period who helped to quell various uprisings during the reign of Fath 'Ali Shah, and was made Commander in Chief and later Commander of Yerevan. After 1827 he became chief of the Bakhtyari tribe and founded numerous public buildings which still exist in Yerevan, Qazvin and Karbala. He and his younger brother Muhammad Hasan spent the years 1803-27 fighting the Russians. Muhammad Hasan became governor of Yazd in 1848 and Kirman and Baluchistan in 1851.