Biography of Sattar Khan
Sattar Khan, known as Sattar Khan Qaracheh Daghi, is one of the Azerbaijani-Turkish commanders of the Persian constitutional movement.Sattar Khan, nicknamed Sardar Melli, was born on October 20, 1866, in the Arasbaran region of Azerbaijan. He was the third son of Haj Hassan Bazzaz Qaradaghi, who worked as a draper. He was playing with his father in the villages around Arasbaran.
Sattar Khan’s Activities in Tabriz
His activities date back to the time of the bombarding of the Majlis in 1908. He stood up against the army of 30,000 to 40,000 people of Mohammad Ali Shah, who had gone to Tabriz to suppress the uprising. Sattar Khan called on the people against the government forces and took the lead. With the accompany of Baqir Khan and other Mujahideen, he resisted government forces for a year. They did not allow Tabriz to fall into the hands of Mohammad Ali Shah’s supporters.
Reasons for Sattar Khan’s Opposition to Qajar Rule
The reason why Sattar Khan was so opposed to Qajar rule dates back to his childhood. He and his two older brothers, Ismail and Ghaffar, have been interested in shooting and horseback riding since childhood. Meanwhile, Ismail, the eldest son of the family, would spend all of his time on horseback riding, shooting, and would accompany khans and elders. These rebellions led to his eventual arrest and execution, following a protest against the ruler. This created resentment in Sattar Khan, who later helped to strengthen the spirit of his resistance against the Qajar.
After Ismail was killed, Sattar Khan and his family emigrated to Tabriz. They lived in the Amirkhiz neighborhood. At that time, Sattar Khan joined the group of Laotians in Tabriz. Then, on the advice of Brigadier General Reza Gholi Khan, he entered the gendarmerie service. During his gendarmerie service, he was entrusted with the protection of the Marand-Khoy road.
Sardar Melli’s Moral Qualities
His bravery caught the eyes of Crown Prince Muzaffaruddin Mirza. Then he was considered one of the Crown Prince’s Marines in Tabriz.
Sattar Khan, due to his lottery habit, defended many people against the government. Like, in one of his clashes with the agents, Mohammad Ali Mirza, the crown prince of Tabriz, was persecuted and fled the city. He engaged in banditry for a while, with one difference; he took from the rich and gave the poor. Then, with the mediation of the local elders and trustees, he returned to the city.
He was known for his honesty and trustworthiness in Tabriz. Many landlords entrusted the protection of their property to him. He never studied and was illiterate, but his intelligence combined with his courage, his skill in martial arts, his strong faith, and his sense of patriotism made him “the only hero of Persia’s freedom.”
The Struggle Between Government Forces and the Mojahedin
On the afternoon of Sha’ban 1st, 1328 AH, the three thousand forces of the constitutional government surrounded the garden of Atabak. After several warnings, the army attacked so, the struggle between government forces and the Mojahedin began. In this fight, government forces used several cannons and five hundred rifles, and in about 4 hours, 300 people in the garden were shot and shelled. Sattar Khan fled to the roof, but in one of the corridors of the mansion, he was hit in the leg and injured, unable to move. Shortly afterward, government forces arrested him and took him to Samsam al-Saltanah’s house. At this point, he and his allies were forced to disarm.
After these events, Sattar Khan settled in Tehran; Skilled doctors worked hard to treat his feet. Both feet were broken, and the bullet wound was infected. Two surgeries were performed, and the wounds were cleaned. After a while, the fractures and injuries healed partially. From then on, he could walk with the help of a cane. After what happened , he was ousted from the constitutional government. Now he was alone. Four years later, Sattar Khan died at the age of 47 on November 16, 1914, in Tehran.
The Story of Sattar Khan Movie
You might be interested to know that the movie, Sattar Khan, was made with the theme of the Constitutional Movement in 1351. The story of this movie takes place during the constitutional era. The director of this movie was Ali Hatami, and Enayat Bakhshi played the role of Sattar Khan. After the Islamic Revolution of 1978, a street in the west of Tehran was named after him. Other statues and monuments have also been erected in his memory in Tehran and other cities in Persia.