This collection spans several generations of the Najmabadi family and consists of family letters and the complete registries of Shaykh Baqir Najmabadi (13 volumes) and Shaykh Mahdi Najmabadi (15 volumes).
The letters were found in two envelopes (included in the collection) and marked as belonging to the holder's sister. They primarily concern testimonials and powers of attorney given to family members in order to deal with issues of inheritance and other property transactions involving women in the family. These letters were found in papers of ʻAbbas Najmabadi (1911-1986). They most likely belonged to his father (who is named in some of the documents), Shaykh Husayn Najmabadi (d. 1947), son of Shaykh Sadiq Najmabadi (1894-1935) and his first wife Zahra Yuna Arab.
The complete registries of Shaykh Baqir Najmabadi and Shaykh Mahdi Najmabadi record vast numbers of transactions that concern inheritance disputes, often between sisters and brothers, as well as registered marriage contracts that include such details as itemized list of what the bride took to her matrimonial home. They constitute an invaluable source for socio-cultural history of the Najmabadi neighborhood in Tehran, Iran.
Shaykh Baqir Najmabadi (1847 or 48-1928) is the son of Mulla Mahdi Najmabadi and his fourth wife Zahra Khanum, and half-brother of Shaykh Hadi Najmabadi. The registers of Shaykh Baqir Najmabadi cover transactions from 18 March 1910 to 27 December 1931. Shaykh Mahdi Najmabadi (1867-1957) is the son of Shaykh Hadi Najmabadi and his first wife Galin Baji Rahguzar. His registers cover transactions from 1910 to 1956.
Acquistion Notes
Digital facsimiles of the registries were provided by the Najmabadi family in Tehran and digitized in 2005 by the Center for Islamic Resources in Qum. Other source materials for the Najmabadi Family Papers were provided by Afsaneh Najmabadi in 2010.
