Analysis of the structure of the educational system in the oil cities of southern Iran (with emphasis on the role of British statesmen and managers of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) 1330 – 1287

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Reza Habibinezhad ¹

Farajollah Ahmadi ²

¹ PhD Student in Iranology, Iranology Foundation, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

² Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/jhistory.2026.100088.1463

Abstract

English Translation




In 1280 SH/1901 AD, Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar granted the oil concession to William Knox D’Arcy for a period of 60 years. The discovery of oil in 1287 SH/1908 AD in Masjed Soleyman brought about significant transformations in the social and cultural structures of the oil-producing cities of southern Iran. One of the most important of these transformations was the establishment and development of a modern educational system in the southern oil-producing cities under the management of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
The present study, combining a descriptive-analytical approach with the use of primary sources, library materials, archival documents, and periodicals, seeks to demonstrate the extent to which the British managers of the oil company contributed to raising literacy levels in the southern oil-producing cities through the establishment and expansion of schools, provision of technical education, training of skilled personnel, and sending students abroad.
This study examines and evaluates the structure of the educational system in the oil-producing cities of southern Iran from the beginning of 1287 SH/1908 AD to 1330 SH/1951 AD, with particular emphasis on the role of the British managers of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Keywords

Khuzestan

oil

English managers

educational system

southern oil cities

Subjects

• History of Islamic culture

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