Children’s Social and Educational Services at Astan Quds Razavi (From the Safavid Era to the End of the First Pahlavi Period)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

10.30484/ganj.2026.4004.2115

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the role of Astan Quds Razavi in the protection and support of children from the Safavid period to the end of the First Pahlavi era, and seeks to elucidate the various types of supportive and educational services provided to children, as well as the degree to which such services rely upon endowed revenues and the policy orientations of the custodial authorities.
Method and Research Design: Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, this research systematically examines historical documents and extant records housed in the archives of Astan Quds Razavi. Data were collected and interpreted through rigorous archival analysis, administrative reports, and corroborating historical evidence.
Finding and Conclusion: The results indicate that from the Safavid period onward, the education of orphans, particularly those of Sayyid lineage, was funded through endowments dedicated to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza. During the Qajar period, in addition to the continued provision of education, the care of abandoned infants also received attention, and specific personnel were appointed within the shrine for this purpose. In the early years of the First Pahlavi period, these efforts continued in a more organized and institutionalized form with the establishment of the "Razavi Orphanage" (Parvareshgah-e Razavi). The findings suggest that the supportive services of Astan Quds Razavi resulted from the interaction between the charitable intentions of benefactors, who allocated endowments to philanthropic causes, and the proactive agency of the trustees in responding to the social needs of each era—a dynamic that led to the sustainability and institutionalization of support for vulnerable children.

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Main Subjects

References

Documents
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Ganjine-ye Asnad
Volume 35, Issue 4 - Serial Number 140
January 2026
Pages 113-152

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 28 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 10 December 2026

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