The

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

periodical ''Akhtar'' ( fa, اختر, meaning ''Star'' in English) was published in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, in the period 1876–1896.

History and profile

''Akhtar'' was launched in 1876 following the suggestion of the Persian ambassador in Constantinople at that time, and was published until 1896. Editor and director was Agha Mohammed Taher Tabrizi, and the

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Mirza Mehdi Tabrizi (1839-1907) was the founder of the Khorshid Publishing House in Constantinople who later edited another magazine entitled ''

Hekmat ''Hekmat'' ( fa, حكمت –"Wisdom") was the first Persian-language newspaper published in Egypt, and the first Persian journal published in an Arab country. Founded and managed by the Iranian expatriate Mohammad-Mahdi Tabrizi (died 1914), ...

'' (1892-1912) in

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. Mirza Mohammad Ali Khan Kashani, founded the periodical '' Sorayya'' (1898-1900) which was later published in Cairo, also briefly worked for the journal. ''Akhtar'' was the first Persian magazine to be published outside Iran. Akhtar, No

At the beginning, ''Akhtar'' - the first non-official press medium - was published almost daily, later twice - and eventually once a week. The distribution of this journal extended from many cities of Iran and the Ottoman Empire to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

and

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. It served as a mouthpiece for Iranians in diaspora and was used by the Persian embassy and the consulate in Constantinople as a newsletter. Alongside political daily reports it contained domestic and international news, articles on scientific and literary topics as well as reports from correspondents and letters from Iran. Among its notable contributors were

Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani ( fa, میرزا آقا خان کرمانی;‎ 1854 – 1896/97) was an Iranian intellectual reformer, a Babi, and son-in-law of Subh-i-Azal. In his writings, he advocates for political, social, and religious reform cha ...

, Shaykh Ahmad Ruhi and Mirza Mehdi Tabrizi. According to contemporaneous

Iranologist Iranian studies ( fa, ايران‌شناسی '), also referred to as Iranology and Iranistics, is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the research and study of the civilization, history, literature, art and culture of Iranian peoples. It ...

Edward Granville Browne Edward Granville Browne FBA (7 February 1862 – 5 January 1926) was a British Iranologist. He published numerous articles and books, mainly in the areas of history and literature. Life Browne was born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, En ...

, writing in 1888, ''Akhtar'' was "the only Persian publication worth reading". Even though ''Akhtar'' as a journal published in exile could report more freely, the Ottoman censors suspended it several times. The inspector for the publication was Bahaaddin Veled İzbudak, a Persian scholar. After the assassination of Iranian monarch

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek ...

in 1896, the Ottoman government permanently banned the journal.cf. Pistor-Hatam, Anja: Iran und die Reformbewegung im Osmanischen Reich. Persische Staatsmänner, Reisende und Oppositionelle unter dem Einfluss der Tanẓīmāt, Berlin 1992.

History and profile

See also

References

Sources

Further reading