Iranian Genealogy

At some point, those interested in Iranian genealogy have all probably grumbled the same complaint: THERE AREN’T ANY RECORDS! While that is an exaggeration, it is true that getting your hands on Iranian records is difficult. Why is this the case, and how do we solve it? This blog post explores the causes and solutions of the issue that perennially plagues Iranian genealogists: the Iranian record problem.

Lack of Records

The first cause of the Iranian record problem is the general lack of records collected on Iranians. Outside of sporadic censuses in cities like Tehran or Mashhad, the Iranian government did not keep records on its citizens until a century ago. Before then, recordkeeping was a religious affair.

Before nationwide civil registration, if a birth was recorded at all, it was written on the back cover of a Quran or other holy book (ISNA). Marriages, divorces, inheritances, and transactions such as purchases, leases, and loans were facilitated by religious officials (e.g., the collection of records in the book Dar mahzur-e Sheikh Fazlollah Nuri; three pages of the book can be seen per day for free on noorlib.ir). The religious officials kept these records at their homes (McCollum, 19:34-20:59). When someone died, there was no death certificate, and the gravestone would usually only record the deceased’s name and death date (ISNA).

Iran’s first civil registration office was formed on December 12, 1918 (ISNA). Known as Edāre-ye Sejel-e Ahvāl (اداره سجل احوال), it operated under the Tehran city government (ISNA). Sejel-e Ahval issued the first vital records booklet (shenāsnāmeh) to a woman named Fātemeh Irāni on December 25, 1918 (ISNA). Beginning on December 12, 1919, it was required for Tehran residents to have a shenāsnāmeh before obtaining a transport permit, obtaining a passport, paying an election fee, and filing a lawsuit, among other actions (ISNA).

Sejel-e Ahvāl did not begin operating outside of Tehran until it was transferred to the Ministry of the Interior in 1303 SH (1924/5) (ISNA). Civil registration only became mandatory for Iranians in the country and abroad on June 4, 1925, when the Majles passed the Civil Registration Law (ISNA). Long after the civil registration law, non-government records continued to be generated (e.g., this marriage agreement from 1937). Accordingly, government records largely did not exist until well into the 20th century, and many records were privately maintained.

Inaccesibility of Records

The second cause of the Iranian record problem is that the records that do exist are largely inaccessible. This inaccessibility is due to (1) unclear and burdensome processes for interacting with the government and libraries/archives; and (2) most records being held by private individuals.

Bureaucratic Processes

If there is a process for finding government records relevant to genealogy in Iran, there is no consensus as to what it is. Iranian legal advice websites frequently feature questions about how to register a genealogy with the government or use government records for genealogy (e.g., Dadrah.ir). The Iranian attorneys who respond all agree that the National Organization for Civil Registration (NOCR; also called Sabt-e Ahval ثبت احوال) is the proper avenue to pursue finding records. However, the consensus ends there.

The attorneys’ answers indicate that NOCR maintains records of some type, but are inconsistent as to their availability and format. Some say that NOCR maintains genealogies on most people (dadrah.ir; bonyadvokala.com). Others qualify that NOCR will provide a genealogy if it exists (bonyadvokala.com). One attorney specified that NOCR only has the genealogies of seyyed families (families with patrilineal descent from the Prophet Mohammad’s son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Taleb) (bonyadvokala.com). Another asserts that NOCR will not provide any family tree, only the names of ancestors (bonyadvokala.com). Finally, yet another attorney states that getting genealogical information from NOCR is not possible at all (bonyadvokala.com).

Some attorneys’ answers indicate a citizen must have a specific reason (i.e., inheritance or proving seyyed descent) and a fair amount of money (one attorney said 10 million toman) to access NOCR’s records. Others say that a citizen only needs to fill out an application with NOCR (bonyadvokala.com), with one saying that it must be done at the NOCR office in the ancestors’ locality (bonyadvokala.com). Another says that a citizen can request records through NOCR’s new website, sahim.sabteahval.ir (bonyadvokala.com). The uncertainty around how to request genealogical records from the government make the few precious records that do exist largely inaccessible.

On the other hand, Iran’s libraries and archives have clearer research policies, but they are onerous. Researchers have to show a variety of documents, signed and approved by various institutions and offices, before even accessing any materials (Navid Zarrinal, Finding Your Way Around Tehran’s Public Archives; Gennady Kurin; Malek Library and Museum). The process of getting access and researching is a several-day and sometimes weeks-long process (Navid Zarrinal, Finding Your Way Around Tehran’s Public Archives). The result is that the wealth of information in Iran’s archives is obscured under burdensome bureaucracy.

Private Individuals

Due to the limited number of government records collected, most relevant Iranian genealogical records are in the possession of private individuals. Personal collections may include records like shenāsnāmeh, marriage documents, diplomas, correspondence, work-related documentation, photographs, and artifacts. These items are rich with information and fill in the gaps left by government records, but they are inaccessible unless they are donated or digitized.

Disappearance of Records

The third cause of the Iranian record problem is that many records are not being adequately preserved. The same actors that contribute to the inaccesibility of records – the government and private individuals – also contribute to the issue of inadequate preservation.

Questionable Government Preservation

Because of the inaccessbility of government records, the government’s level of record preservation is unclear. One anecdote may shed light on the state of Iranian government record preservation: In 2005, Najaf Shokri found a trash bin full of shenāsnāmeh, all issued in 1942, behind a branch of the NOCR in Tehran (The Guardian, Irandokht: Daughters of Iran). Furthermore, Iranian government documents from the Qajar and Pahlavi era have made their way onto online marketplaces (Iran Wire). It is possible that the government keeps the information contained in these sources in another format, but the disposal of the original records leads to the loss of valuable information.

Sale of Private Collections

Many items from personal collections also end up being sold, if not discarded altogether (Iran Wire). Examples of some online marketplaces rife with these items include esam.ir, torob.com, and antique.karaketab.com. The buyers of these documents have no personal connection to them and have no incentive to keep them after they have used them for their purposes. These purposes might include research (Iran Wire), but based on the phrasing in many sale listings (e.g., this listing on esam.ir), many buyers purchase these documents to remove their stamps, which destroys the document in the process. The negative effects of selling these documents would be mitigated if sellers properly digitized them. However, sellers are disincentivized from digitization because revealing the entire document in the sale listing decreases the price (Iran Wire). The sale of documents on the open market, instead of ensuring their preservation in an archive, threatens centuries-worth of some of the most valuable Iranian records still in existence.

Solutions

While the Iranian record problem is unavoidable, there are steps that we can take to mitigate it.

1. Preserve Your Family’s History

The primary method to combat the Iranian record problem is to preserve one’s own family history. First, collect any information that your family has. Speak with relatives to learn your family’s oral history (to learn how, see the Oral History page). Compile and scan your family’s records and photographs. Second, share what you have! Contribute to the various existing Iranian oral history projects. When relevant, share scans of documents/photographs with Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran, the Iranian-American Digital Archive Project, and Shahrefarang. If no relative wants your family’s records and photographs, donate them to a historical society, archive, or university. Put your research in an Internet-accessible format, be it a family tree, a website, a Facebook group, etc. When you do, please let Iranian Genealogy know!

2. Utilize Alternative Sources

While records are difficult to obtain, you may find your ancestors in other sources. Online resources like books, maps, newspapers, photographs, or articles might mention your ancestors. These other sources might provide the same information as government records, or even more. To search through these types of sources, see our Collections and Databases page. For a suggested process for Iranian genealogy research, please see our General Resources page.

3. Keep Track of New Resources

Iran is starting to embrace digital humanities and digitization, so we can expect more online resources in the future (The Digital Orientalist, Digital Humanities and Manuscript Archives in Iran). One promising project is NCRO’s new Sahim website, which allows users to build a family tree and connect with relatives, among other services (yadegarafarin.ir). It is a groundbreaking genealogy initiative by the Iranian government. Unfortunately, it relies on user-inputted information, instead of drawing from NOCR’s records. Nonetheless, this website creates a strong foundation for future government-assisted genealogy (yadegarafarin.ir). Stay tuned to the Collections and Databases page and our Initiatives for new research resources. If you know of a resource that we should add to Iranian Genealogy, please let us know!

4. Creation of a Centralized Archive

Ideally, there should be an institution that serves as a centralized archive for Iranian records, artifacts, and photographs in private collections. Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran is an excellent example of how such an archive might work, but its scope is limited. One contender for this centralized archive is the still developing Iranian-American Museum. In the meantime, Iranian Genealogy seeks to be a centralized digital archive for these items. If you have scans or photographs that you want to preserve by having them posted on this website, please contact us. We will all do our part to overcome, and maybe even solve, the Iranian record problem.