Ahmed Khan of Nakhichevan (, September 13, 1893 – April 28, 1966) was an Iranian military leader, major general and Defense Minister.

Biography

Ahmed Khan was born in 1893 into a family in the city of

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

and was the eldest son of Ali Khan of Nakhichevan. He belonged to the famous and influential Turkic

Kangarlu tribe Kangarlu () is a Turkic tribe that resides in the Azerbaijan and Qom-Varamin regions of Iran. They were originally a clan of the prominent Ustajlu tribe of the Qizilbash tribal confederacy. History A Turkic tribe, the Kangarlu were originally ...

of Nakhichevan. Nakhichevan studied in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. After leaving school, he held various insignificant posts in Tehran. All this time he remained a close friend of

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

. He was the prince's assistant. Close friendly relations were established between the prince and Ahmed Khan. The new Shah Mohammed Reza was declared heir on January 1, 1926. He was educated in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, graduated from the officer's school in Tehran. In 1938, returning from Europe, he visited

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

. During the reign of Reza, he often took part in government meetings and actually served as the minister of war. General Ahmed Khan of Nakhichevan, who held the post of Minister of War at that time, was actually his assistant. Colonel Ahmad Nakhjavan completed his pilot training in 1925, and in February of the same year, he flew to Iran with a plane purchased from France, and landed in Qala-e-Marghi on 5 March. Ahmad Nakhjavan became the first head of the

Imperial Iranian Air Force The history of the Iranian Air Force, currently known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, can be divided into two phases—before the Islamic Revolution, and after it. Imperial era The Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was a branch ...

and was the director of aviation with him until 1937. During this time he was changed several times and fired, but each time he returned to service after a short time. In 1929 he became a brigadier general. In 1940, he became the acting

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in Ahmad Matin's cabinet, and he was soon promoted to the rank of Major General. Nakhchivan was under the auspices of the Ministry of War until September 29, 1941, at the same time as the Soviet and British forces invaded Iran, and approved the plan to dismiss conscripts and recruit contract soldiers to members of the Supreme Army Council. This caused severe change and protests from Reza Shah; Therefore, Ahmad severely beat Nakhjavan and threw him in prison. He was imprisoned until September 16 and became Minister of War on September 20, after the Shah resigned to restore Foroughi's cabinet. After that, he was an inspector and head of Mohammad Reza Shah's military office for some time and died in 1967. Ahmad Nakhjavan was the first Iranian pilot to fly a Breguet-19 aircraft with the Iranian flag and emblem from France to Tehran's Qala-e-Marghi base on February 25, 1925. Nakhchivan had trained in France and flew only 200 hours. Thus, on this date, the first aircraft of the Iranian Air Force, piloted by an Iranian, crossed the international borders and reached the Iranian airspace. During this period, the Iranian Air Force was removed from the form of a small office at the Army Command Headquarters and became a separate force called the Imperial Army Air Force of Iran. Mansur Badashkhan, Iran in the month of Shahrivar (August-September) 1941, Tehran, 1942, pp. 13-14. Ahmad Nakhjavan, along with Ismail Meraat, the then Minister of Culture, emphasized Persian orthography, and their efforts and those of others accompanied the Shah in ordering the establishment of a Persian language.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakhjavan, Ahmad Imperial Iranian Army major generals 1893 births 1967 deaths Iranian military personnel of World War II Commanders of Imperial Iranian Air Force Prisoners and detainees of Iran