General Azizollah Zarghami

Zahra Abbasi

Azizollah Zarghami (1884-1978) was one of the favorite generals of Reza Shah, and the chief of Army staff for a long time. Hossein Pasha Khan Zarghamossaltaneh Sheqaqi, his father was one of the chiefs of Sheqaqi tribe. As a young man, he entered the Cassock training school, and received the rank of officer. He was in Cassock brigade until he got the rank of captain. Then he went to gendarmerie and became the head of Qazvin, Zanjan and Soltanabad gendarmerie. He was involved in some fights and received the rank of first colonel.

Azizollah Khan was in gendarmerie at the time of formation of uniform army. He was the commandant of first regiment of Tehran in Yusefabad. He proceeded to Khorassan to suppress Colonel Pessian’s riot in collaboration with brigadier Medhat and Salar Nezam, 1921. However, they were prevented in Sabzevar. Zarghami received permit to go Mashed to visit the holy shrine of 8thImam. In the same year, a commission of conciliatory board was formed with 11 members, colonel Azizollah Khan being one of them.

According to the command of Sardar Sepah, minister of war, following the formation of the uniform army, colonel Azizollah Khan became the chief of all military schools and was ordered to uniform all schools and place them in Masudieh building.

He was responsible for military schools for two years. Then he became the head of army management. Shortly after, he became the commandant of Baluchestan and Makran brigade. He was in this office, that he received the rank of brigadier, 1928. He became the head of general bureau of public gendarmerie. Seven brigadiers of troops were promoted general in 1933, and brigadier Azizollah Zarghami was one of them. Following the removal of Reza Shah from throne, Zarghami was removed from army staff and became the commandant of Officers’ school. He had this appointment for a few days, and then he was retired. He became a member of the first term of senate form in 1949.

He was a favorite officer of Reza Shah. He had much influence in him and most affairs of army were seen into through his advice and opinion. During his period of being the chief of staff, when despotism was at its highest degree, army was developed and 18 divisions were formed in various regions. When the Allies invaded Iran in 1941, Zarghami ordered for the formation of war staff and he stood at the top of it. He issued an announcement. However, their job was hampered. All soldiers were left on their own in towns and villages. They suffered hunger and thirst for days and nights until they arrived at their hometowns.

Once, he was put in jail with general Ahmad Nakhjavan by Reza Khan. However, he was one of the few people who were forgiven. When he worked with the Swedish people in gendarmerie, he learnt French to some extent. Zarghami respected the clerics and academicians. He died in 1978, at the age of 94 and was buried in Emamzadeh Abdollah.
https://iichs.ir/vdcg.39qrak93zj54a.html