The history of Mehrabad is, in many ways, a microcosm of Iran’s transformation over the past two centuries—spanning the decline of Qajar political authority, the rise of centralized Pahlavi power, the emergence of modern infrastructure, and Iran’s entry into the world of civil and military aviation. What began as a Qajar-era village known as Hosseinabad evolved into the country’s most important airport for decades, serving as Iran’s aerial gateway to the world. This text traces the layered history of Mehrabad, exploring its ownership from Qajar aristocracy to technocratic modernization, its role in Iran’s aviation development, and its symbolic presence in Iranian cultural memory.
1. Hosseinabad: A Village of the Qajar Aristocracy
The settlement originally known as Hosseinabad was typical of the small agricultural villages surrounding Tehran in the early 19th century. At the time, Tehran’s boundaries were far smaller than they are today. The city was still gaining prominence as the capital of the Qajar dynasty, and villages like Hosseinabad served both economic and strategic purposes: supplying food, housing rural workers, and reinforcing the landholding networks of the political elite.
