Tehran 1933 – The D′Arcy Carnival
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According to the Institute of Iranian Contemporary Historical Studies, the D′Arcy carnival was celebrated in the spring of 1933. The main reason for the celebration was Iran′s termination of the D′Arcy concession after a dispute with the British government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company -
In 1901 the British entrepreneur William Knox D′Arcy was granted an exclusive licence for the extraction and production of Iranian oil – Iran′s ″black gold″ – in Iran. The former Qadjar kings showed little resistance and signed a degrading and long-term contract with the British colonialists -
Through the D′Arcy concession Iran gave the British colonists exclusive rights to the extraction, production and piping of oil across Iran (except for the provinces of Azarbaijan, Gilan, Mazandaran, Gorgan and Khorasan) for decades. Only 16 percent of the profits were shared with Iran -
In April 1933 Reza Shah Palahwi re-negotiated with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The result was a modified version of the D′Arcy concession – supposedly more profitable for Iran. After the new agreement a government-sponsored carnival was staged on the streets of Tehran. Crowds of people participated in the parades, some dressed up like (unpopular) British businessmen -
Only a few photographs have survived from the D′Arcy carnival in spring 1933 -
The new contract revealed the extent of British influence and the British government′s exploitative practices. The contract signed in 1933 foresaw that all assets and properties of the APOC would belong to the British government. The agreement was also supposed to extend the life of the licence until 1993 – effectively imperial influence in perpetuity -
The carnival parade was nevertheless impressive: thousands of people came to take part in the processions. This photograph shows the parade crossing in front of Telegraph House to the right. The building was located at the southern end of Meydan Tubkhane -
Having rehearsed a piece of music, a marching band gathers together, awaiting the off. The men are dressed in traditional Iranian military uniforms -
Cars also participated the long processions. Believing in a more independent future, the mood of the Iranian population at the time was buoyantly optimistic -
The D′Arcy concession was finally announced during the political developments which led to the nationalisation of the Iranian oil industry