1.3 Financial Decline and the Mortgage of Mehrabad
The Moeir al-Mamalek family, despite their aristocratic standing, faced chronic financial difficulties, primarily due to Dost Mohammad Khan’s excessive spending, which eroded the family treasury. As debts accumulated, the family was compelled to mortgage Mehrabad, eventually losing full possession of the land.
The transition was not smooth. Dost Ali Moeir al-Mamalek, son of Dost Mohammad Khan, sought legal recourse to reclaim the property after the rise of Reza Shah Pahlavi. But the Pahlavi legal and political system, designed to weaken traditional aristocracy and consolidate centralized control, was not sympathetic to Qajar-era claims. The lawsuit ultimately yielded no result, and Mehrabad was lost to the Moeir al-Mamalek family.
2. The Nizam Mafi Family and the End of Qajar Ownership
After being removed from Moeir al-Mamalek’s possession, the village shifted into the hands of the Nizam Mafi family, one of the prominent landowning and political families during the late Qajar and early Pahlavi periods. This transition marked another shift in elite ownership but also set the stage for an even larger transformation with the advent of aviation.
The Nizam Mafi family’s tenure over Mehrabad coincided with significant political changes in Iran. As the Qajar dynasty weakened, Reza Khan (later Reza Shah) rose to power, establishing the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925. His reign prioritized modernization, industrialization, and the development of infrastructure—especially transportation. It was this larger national project that would redefine Mehrabad’s fate.
