Mehdi Bakeri (‎; 1954 – 16 March 1985) was an

Iranian Azerbaijani Iranian Azerbaijanis (; ) are the largest ethnic minority of Iran. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region including provinces of (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, West Azerbaijan)Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the

University of Tabriz The University of Tabriz (, ''Dāneshgāh-e Tabriz'') is a public university located in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, with the fundamental aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research. It is one of the top five high-ranked u ...

and participated in the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

against the

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

. Following the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, he joined to the

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

and was killed in action in Operation Badr during the war.

Early life

Bakeri was born in

Miandoab Miandoab () is a city in the Central District (Miandoab County), Central District of Miandoab County, West Azerbaijan province, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Demographics Language an ...

West Azerbaijan Province West Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, whose capital and largest city is Urmia. It is in the northwest of the country, bordered by Turkey ( Ağrı, Hakkâri, Iğdır and Van Provinces), Iraq ( Erbil and Sula ...

in a religious

Iranian Azerbaijani Iranian Azerbaijanis (; ) are the largest ethnic minority of Iran. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region including provinces of (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, West Azerbaijan)Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

's regime and finally was killed by the regime. Bakeri might have entered these groups through his brother. After graduating from high school he was accepted by the

in Mechanical Engineering. When he entered the university, he continued his activities against the regime. Bakeri and his friends played an important role in holding protests against regime in

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 ...

. According to classified documents, he was under surveillance of

West Azerbaijan West Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, provinces of Iran, whose capital and largest city is Urmia. It is in the Azerbaijan (Iran), northwest of the country, bordered by Turkey (Ağrı Province, Ağrı, Hakkâri Pr ...

SAVAK The Bureau for Intelligence and Security of the State (), shortened to as SAVAK () or S.A.V.A.K. () was the secret police of the Imperial State of Iran. It was established in Tehran in 1957 by national security law. and continued to operate un ...

Career

After the victory of the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...

and formation of the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

, he joined this institution. Bakeri served as mayor for nine months and later as the public prosecutor of

Urmia Urmia (; ) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq. ...

, West Azerbaijan. His wedding party was the same day as the start of

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

. He left his family to join the Iranian forces in the battlefront just two days later. He was appointed as the commander of the

31st Ashura Division 31st Ashura Division () was a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It covers the provinces of East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, and Ardabil. It was first officially organized as the 1st Ashura Brigade () under command of Mohammad A ...

, and showed great courage and bravery in combat against the Iraqi forces.

Operations

Bakeri participated in several operations: *

Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas (; Operation Jerusalem), also known as the Operation Toward Beit-ol-Moqaddas (), was an Iranian operation conducted during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation was a success, as it achieved its standing aim of liberati ...

Operation Dawn (1983) Operation Dawn-1 (also known as Operation Valfajr-1) was an Iranian offensive in the Iran–Iraq War. On April 10, 1983, Iran struck Ayn Al-Qaws with the immediate objective of Al-Fakkah Field (east of al-Amarah Amarah (), also spelled Amara ...

Operation Dawn 2 Operation Dawn 2 or Operation Valfajr-2 () was an Iranian operation during the eight-year-long Iran–Iraq War. This operation opened a new front in northern Iraq/Iraqi Kurdistan also known as "the Northern Front". Despite Turkish help, this regi ...

Operation Dawn 3 Operation Dawn 3 or Operation Valfajr-3 (Persian: عملیات والفجر-۳) was an operation during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation was launched in the range of "semi-extensive operation" located in the general area of Mehran (in Ilam Pr ...

* Operation Dawn 4 *

Operation Fath ol-Mobin Operation Fath-ol-Mobin (, a Quranic phrase meaning "Undeniable Victory" or "Manifest Victory") was a major Iranian military operation conducted during the Iran–Iraq War, in March 1982 and resulted to the Battle of Shush. The operation was le ...

Operation Kheibar Operation Kheibar was an Iranian offensive in the Iran–Iraq War. It was part of the Battle of the Marshes. Prelude After the unsuccessful major offensive named Operation Dawn V aimed directly at Basra, Iran opened a front at the lakes of th ...

Operation Ramadan Operation Ramadan was an Iranian offensive in the Iran–Iraq War that consisted of three separate attacks that lasted for 6 weeks. It was launched by Iran on 13 July 1982 near Basra and featured the use of human wave attacks in the largest lan ...

Martyrdom

Operation Badr (1985) Operation Badr was an Iranian operation conducted during the Iran–Iraq War against the forces of Ba'athist Iraq. The Iranians launched their offensive on March 10 and succeeded in capturing a part of the Basra-Amarah-Baghdad highway. The foll ...

, as was the case throughout the war, he was in the most dangerous region of the battlefront. He was martyred by Iraqi troops north of the Iraqi city of

Al-Qurnah Al-Qurnah (Kurnah or Qurna, meaning connection/joint in Arabic) is a town in southern Iraq about 74 km northwest of Basra, that lies within the conglomeration of Nahairat. Qurna is located at the confluence point of the Tigris and Euphrates river ...

. The boat which was carrying his body, sunk in the river of Tigris after being hit by an Iraqi RPG. His body was never found.

Memorial

He is highly revered as one of the greatest

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian war heroes. Bakeri Expressway, in western

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, has been named after him.

Tractor Stadium Tractor Stadium or Tractor's Shahid Bakeri Stadium is a stadium in Tabriz, Iran. It is currently used mostly for football matches of Tractor Academy and training ground for the Tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically design ...

, in

, has also been renamed after him as "Tractor's Shahid Bakeri Stadium".

In popular culture

The Situation of Mehdi

'' The Situation of Mehdi'' is a 2022 film about Mehdi Bakeri, directed by

Hadi Hejazifar Hadi Hejazifar (Persian: هادی حجازی‌فر; born June 21, 1976) is an Iranian actor, director and screenwriter. He gained attention and received critical acclaim for his performances in films '' Standing in the Dust'' (2016), '' Midday A ...

and written by Hejazifar & Ebrahim Amini. The film won the

Crystal Simorgh for Best Film Crystal Simorgh for Best Film is an award presented annually by the Fajr International Film Festival held in Iran. Winners and nominees Most wins and nominations Production companies Notes References {{Fajr Internat ...

, Best First Film, Best Original Score, Best Sound Recording and Best Special Effects at the

40th Fajr Film Festival The 40th Fajr Film Festival () was held from 1 to 11 February 2022 in Tehran, Iran. The nominees for the 40th Fajr Film Festival were announced on February 10, 2022, at a press conference. Jury Main Competition * Masoud Jafari Jozani * Maj ...

. It scored the most nominations—14—and has received 5 awards (the most wins).

References

External links

* . {{DEFAULTSORT:Bakeri, Mahdi Iranian military personnel killed in the Iran–Iraq War Iranian prosecutors 1954 births 1985 deaths University of Tabriz alumni People from Miandoab Recipients of the Order of Fath Mayors of places in Iran People from Urmia Imperial Iranian Army conscripted personnel