Draft:Tablet of Justice of Mozaffar

The Tablet of Justice of Muzaffar or The Table Of Adl-e Muzaffar was a plaque at the entrance to the Baharestan Palace (then building of the Iranian Parliament) on which was written the words "Justice of Muzaffar" (Persian: عدل مظفر). The letters of the Abjad in this phrase equal 1324, which indicates the date of the Hijri year in which the Constitutional Decree (the decree of stablishing the semi-Democratic Parliament in Iran for the first time) was issued by Muzaffar al-Din Shah.

Entrance of Baharestan, two statues of the Lion and Sun on either side, and the circular Tablet of Adl-e Muzaffar at the middle.

Background

Muzaffar al-Din Shah was the sixth Shah of Qajar Dynasty who reigned after the assassination of his father, Naser al-Din Shah by Radical Islamist Mirza Reza Kermani.

Muzaffar al-Din Shah (who also had close ties with early constitutionalist intellectuals during his princely), signed and issued the Constitutional Decree of Iran in 1906 Agust 5, just after the removal of his then anti-Constitutionalist Prime Minister, Ein al-Dawlah due to people's protests in British Embassy in Tehran.

At the beggining of the Parliament's oppening, the house of Former Prime Minister Hosein Khan Sepahsalar converted to Baharestan Palace to be the building of parliament, and the Tablet of Adl-e Muzaffar got installed above its entrance.

Construction

This metal plaque was made by Seyyed Abdol Razzaq in the script of Mohammad Reza Kalhor. Abdol Razzaq was assassinated later, by the members of Democratic Party (the party that was representing the more Progressive, Modernist and Pro Western Values wing of the Assembly, opposed to the Moderate Party which was Conservative-leaning).

Mehdi Qoli Khan Hedayat writes in the book Memories of Dangers:

“After the parliament began its work and its transfer to Baharestan, Adl-e Muzaffar [wich indicates the] date of establishment was installed in the script of Kalhor with gold foil above the door of the parliament."

Aftermath

The Tablet was not damaged in the post-constitutional conflicts and the Russia-backed process of dissolution the parliament by Mohammad Ali Shah (the succeeder of Muzaffar al-Din Shah), and gradually became known as the most important symbol of the Parliamentary system.

After Reza Khan and his supporters in the Fifth term of parliament succeeded in overthrowing the existing Qajar monarchy in Iran, the tablet got removed from the parliament because of the legacy it was bringing for Qajar Shahs. However, on 1941 November 19 (after Anglo-Soviet invasion and forced abdication of Reza Khan), the Tablet returned to the Baharestan.

Finally, Revolutionaries got the Tablet broken up in the midst of 1979 Khomeini-led Revolution in Iran.