When the Safawid dynasty came to power in 1501 Kazvin was the capital of Iran. The events described herein took place in the seventh year of the reign of Shah Abbas I.

At three o'clock in the afternoon on the third day following the New Year, which falls in the spring, Shah Abbas was talking to his favourite wife Salmi-Khatun when Khoja Mubarek, the chief eunuch, entered. He bowed low and said:

"The chief astrologer wishes to be received by Your Highness in connection with a very important matter."

Shah Abbas told his wife to return to the harem and ordered the eunuch to usher in the astrologer. The latter entered, bowed low, then clasped his hands in the ritual manner and said a prayer for the glory of his ruler.

"Almighty God preserve the life of the ruler of the Universe! The movements of the heavenly bodies indicate that fifteen days after the New Year the planet Mars will pass the constellation known as the Scorpion. As a result, in the Eastern lands and, namely, in Iran, a terrible blow lies in store for the supreme ruler. That is why, being a devoted slave to Your Highness, I felt it my duty to warn you of the impending catastrophe."

The Shah was only twenty-two at the time, an age at which life is sweet and dear to every mortal, and especially to one who stood on the top rung of well-being, enthroned as a shah. That was why the young shah became so distraught at the astrologer's words. He became as pale as a ghost and seemed more like a corpse than a laving being. A moment later he raised his head and dismissed the astrologer, who bowed low and exited.

When Shah Abbas was alone again he mused in silence for half an hour, then called to the eunuch and said: "Send the guards to summon the grand vizier, the commander of the troops, the treasurer and the chief mullah!"

They all appeared shortly after.

"I have summoned you to discuss an important matter and hear your opinions. You may all be seated," he said.

When the assembly learned of the astrologer's warning, they were astonished and confused. After a moment's silence the grand vizier spoke:

"Everyone knows of your humble servant's devotion to Your Highness. Our great king of kings may recall that the Treasury was in a terrible state in former times, when the Shah's noble ancestors, being of inestimable kindness, appointed as viziers men who were extremely near-sighted and limited. As soon as your humble servant learned that the Treasury was empty, I tried to find some means of replenishing it and devised the following method for doing so. Whenever a courtier received a new appointment, or was endowed with new power, he was to bestow a gift upon the Treasury commensurate with his appointment or rank. Besides, whenever any of the above were graced with Your Highness' personal attention or a visit to his home, he was to repay this grace by offering a certain sum of money and lining his doorstep with precious gems and carpets, which then became the property of Your Highness. In this manner, though a full seven years have not yet passed since the great king of kings has ascended the throne, the Treasury is brimming over, praise be to Allah! Your humble servant has always helped the state in every possible way and has never yet been amiss, but I must confess that I am at a loss as to how to influence the movements of the stars."

The general spoke next. "The beard of your faithful servant has turned grey in the service of our great country. Thus, ten years ago a Turkish force consisting of seventy thousand soldiers invaded Iran. Our revered Shah's great father then put me in charge of all Iranian forces. Although they were not inferior to the Turkish forces, I was afraid our noble warriors might be defeated by the infidels and so ordered the entire area along the Turkish border, which is Azerbaijan, to be turned into rubble, with the crops destroyed, the cattle driven off, the roads ploughed up and the bridges demolished. Thus, when the Turks crossed our border they met no opposition. However, the roads were so bad that their heavy artillery was immobilised, and only after great hardship was the infantry and cavalry force able to reach Tabriz. Then the Turkish raiders dispatched troops to the countryside to find provisions for their army. Not a single ear of grain, not a single cow or bull did they find. The hungry, exhausted Turks fled from Tabriz on the third day, having become the laughing-stock of all the world. Thus was the Iranian nation saved from foreign invasion. Moreover, ruining the roads and bridges had been such a wise move that our government found it preferable to leave them thus as a guarantee that no invaders would ever dare cross our border again. In this way our victorious armies were out of danger and well-cared for throughout the campaign, and not even a single drop of blood was shed. In any similar situation this old watchdog of Your Highness' Court is always able to act with wile, but ... my mind is incapable of inventing any thing to stop the movements of the planets."

Fear gripped the Shah's heart more strongly than before when the general finished speaking. Now it was the treasurer's turn.

"Your insignificant servant, who is a kinsman of t*ie grand vizier and has been brought up by him and given his present post through his intercession, has always been most faithful and honest. The lower ranks and warriors are paid from the Treasury in accordance with an order which it has been my duty to sign. When it became apparent that the Treasury was empty, as the grand vizier has already mentioned, I was distraught. Though I continued signing all the orders for paying the soldiers, these orders were sent to the various districts only to sustain the authority of the Shah. Besides, J always sent the district rulers special orders which informed them that on no condition were they to pay out any money despite what the first orders I had signed said. Instead, they were to await further orders. Thus, the Treasury was soon full again. As for the troops and the officials who were not receiving their salaries, due to the peace and quiet reigning in the land and the fantastically low prices of everything, they did not feel in any way constrained. My brain is quite able to cope with such emergencies, but I cannot think of anything that might influence the heavenly bodies."

It was now the chief mullah's turn. After a flourishing introduction he said: "When your great father made me the chief mullah, half of the inhabitants of Iran, including those who lived in the capital city of Kazvin, were Sunnis, but through fervent sermons, on the one hand, and threats, on the other, I succeeded in converting all those who held to the Sunni creed to the one true doctrine of Shi'ah. Now, praise be to Allah, there are not a dozen Sunnis left in all of Iran. I would also like to mention the fact that all the former Sunnis revoked the creed of their ancestors at a single word from me. I wanted to convert the Armenians and Jews as well, but wise men advised against it, saying that there were other nations wherein small numbers of Armenians and Jews resided who were left to practice their own faiths.

"Now, at a time when Your Highness' life is in danger, your faithful servant's heart is rent by grief, it is like a fish out of water, while my insignificant brain tells me that that accursed astrologer is the only person who can find a way out. He is truly a scheming traitor, for he has told you what the stars have in store, but has concealed the means to avoid the impending disaster. I am positive that he has something up his sleeve, for I cannot imagine that, having told you of the poison, he does not know of the antidote. I think you should summon him and order him to find a way to avoid the danger that threatens the king of kings. If he refuses, off with his head!"

The chief mullah and the astrologer were bitter enemies. Now conditions seemed propitious for dc-Lig away with all astrologers, including the Shah's personal astrologer. It had been very foolish of him to tell the Shah the terrible news, thus plunging their ruler into despair and endangering his own life. In later times he was often held responsible for this, but he invariably replied:

"I hurried to tell the Shah the news, because I feared that some other astrologer might do it and then the Shah would consider me an ignorant ass and remove me from office."

Be that as it may, after hearing the news, the Shah began to hate him, and after what the chief mullah said he became so enraged he called to his chief eunuch and told him to send a guard for the chief astrologer immediately.

In less than an hour's time the man was brought before the Shah. Shah Abbas was like an enraged lion as he rose up from the carpet on his knees and roared: "How dare you son of a dog threaten me with danger hidden in the stars and not tell me of a way to avert it! Executioner!"

The executioner appeared instantly. He had a sabre stuck into his belt and was holding a length of rope. The astrologer had turned as white as a sheet and was shaking visibly.

Although his general was a brave soldier, he was kind-hearted and so began pleading with the Shah to pardon the astrologer. "Who will come to our aid if the dog loses his head? I beg Your Highness not to act hastily. Order him to find a means of averting the danger that threatens your life. If he cannot, then have the executioner cut off the worthless slave's head."

The Shah heeded his words, dismissed the executioner and addressed the astrologer, saying: "Despicable slave! Find a way out immediately!"

The poor man had no idea of what to do, but in the face of imminent death he tried to conceal this, saying: "I venture to say that there is a way out, but I must have at least an hour in which to consult Ulug Bek's zeij, known as the Book of Stars, and see what it advises in such cases." Naturally, there could be no such advice in the book, but this was the only way he could gain time and consult his teacher, Movlana-Jamal-ed-Dm, whom he believed to be the most learned of all astrologers.

The Shah agreed, but before the astrologer had a chance to leave the room, the chief eunuch entered and announced that Movlana-Jamal-ed-Din requested an audience. The Shah consented and told his astrologer to remain in the palace. Movlana entered, bowed low, sank to the cushion indicated and said:

"May the Almighty extend your days, O Ruler of the World! The unpropitious location of the stars has made me disregard the weight of my years and appear before you, Your Highness. Fifteen days after the New Year the planet Mars will pass near the constellation known as the Scorpion. This will bring terrible misfortune to our most noble ruler. Your humble servant felt it his duty to warn Your Highness of the impending danger and also to advise you on how to avert it, since the younger, less experienced astrologers might not have noted the signs."

"That is exactly what we are discussing," the Shah said. "I would like to hear your suggestions."

"All during these coming days of darkness, meaning the fifteen days after the New Year, Your Highness must vanish from sight, having renounced all power and abdicated. During this time some criminal deserving of death will be enthroned. Then destiny's terrible blow will fall upon the sinner who will at the time be the accepted ruler of Iran. After the false ruler is smitten, Your Highness will reappear, be enthroned again, and will reign on in perfect health and happiness, thus glorifying our mighty nation. However, all this must be done in great secrecy, and not a single one of your subjects must know that you have been forced by circumstances to abdicate for a short while. They must all believe the criminal is the true ruler of Iran. All the marriage contracts Your Highness has signed must be annulled. Your wives can then be offered in marriage to Abbas Muhammed ogly, no longer the Shah of Iran, but a plain commoner. Those who consent will be married to Your Highness again, while those who refuse will be divorced."

The chief astrologer had had a narrow escape. The Shah no longer seemed frightened. The colour returned to his cheeks. Everyone praised the wisdom of Movlana. Then the beaming Shah asked the chief mullah whether he knew of a likely criminal and sinner.

"A shiftless sinner named Yusuf has recently come to live in our fair city of Kazvin, Your Highness," the chief mullah replied. "By trade he is a saddle-maker, and no one knows where he came from. However, he has gathered all the dregs of society around him and does nothing but hurl impertinent and angry words at the highly-esteemed scholars and selfless clergy. This accursed man openly preaches to his followers, saying that the highly-esteemed clergy is deceiving the people. He says that any holy war is detrimental to the country, and that modern scholars intentionally criticise the opinions of their predecessors in order to elevate themselves and confuse the people. He also criticises the authorities, saying that all officials, from the village elder to the Shah himself, are thieves and tyrants who do the country no good and who grow rich by levying untold and unjust taxes upon the people, trampling the tenets of justice and honour. There has also been talk that he belongs to some infidel sect that preaches the transference of the soul. I believe this accursed rabble-rouser would be a fine candidate for the role. The stars will wreck their vengeance on him, and he will find a befitting end in the hell-fires!"

The members of the royal council were unanimous in conceding that that dog of a saddle-maker, Yusuf, deserved to be punished by the heavens and deserved to die.

"I agree," said the Shah. "May it be so. Everything shall be accomplished tomorrow."

If the reader doubts any of the above, I would suggest he look into the pages of a history book devoted to the seventh year of the reign of Shah Abbas.

Yusuf was born in a village near Kazvin. His father, a peasant, was a very religious and pious man who dreamed of his son becoming a mullah and thus being able one day to join the educated circle of scholars. To this end he took Yusuf to Kazvin and entered him in a religious school. When Yusuf came of age he wished to broaden his knowledge of theology and so set out first to Isfahan and then to the sacred city of Kerbala, where he studied under the venerable theologians.

During the long years of study that followed, Yusuf came to know the spiritual fathers and theologians closely. Seeing that they were hypocrites and liars, he became disgusted and was averse to joining this brotherhood. From Kerbala he moved to Khamadan.

At the age of forty Yusuf learned the trade of a saddle-maker and returned to the capital city of Kazvin, where it was easier to earn a living than elsewhere. Here he married and opened a shop. However, seeing the hypocrisy of the mullahs and the unsavoury machinations of the corrupt officials, this honest and honourable man felt he had to unmask .them publicly. His truthfulness and boldness won him many faithful friends, though in the end they brought on his death.

At ten o'clock in the morning of the following day the Shah commanded that all his ministers, courtiers, officials and mullahs, from the grand vizier to the last street elder, gather in the palace. Each had taken his place, and now they all anxiously awaited the appearance of the Shah. Finally, the Shah appeared in all his glory. There was a glittering crown on his head, a golden sceptre studded with gems in his hand, and his jewelled sword, the symbol of his might, hung from his belt.

"For six years, by the will of the Almighty, I have ruled over you. As far as possible, I have shown mercy towards each of you, and am pleased with every one of you since, being completely devoted to the Safawid dynasty, you have never been lacking of true sincerity and devotion. Now, due to circumstances which I do not find it necessary to reveal to you, I must abdicate and appoint in my place one who is more worthy and experienced in matters of state than I. This man will be named by the members of the royal council. You must then go to him and escort him to the palace with all pomp and circumstance. Once having enthroned him, you must accept him as your sovereign and carry out his every wish. Misfortune will come to him who dares disobey my order and shows the slightest trace of insubordination towards the new Shah." At this the Shah removed his crown and placed it on the throne. He then unbuckled his sword and took off his bejewelled raiments. Having changed into ordinary clothes, he said: "From now on I am a subject like any other, a poor man named Abbas Muhammed ogly, and you shall see me no more. Farewell, and may the Almighty protect you!" He stepped down from the throne and headed towards his harem.

At the Shah's order all his wives were assembled and awaited him. When they saw him dressed as a commoner, the beauties had a hard time trying not to laugh, but his stern countenance and angry eyes quickly suppressed their smiles. The chief eunuch was told to bring in the mullah and two of his aides. They, too, had been forewarned and waited outside the harem door. After they had entered and been seated at the Shah's command, he spoke to his wives.

"My dear companions, it is with a heavy heart that I am forced to tell you of a most unfortunate occurrence. From this day forward I will no longer be the ruler of Iran. I no longer possess my grand palaces, a treasury or other riches that would let me clothe you in silk and brocade and keep you in splendour. From now on I will be a common man of Iran, one who possesses nothing and is of no importance. That is why I shall be forced to divorce you. You will then be free to choose new husbands." He ordered the mullah to perform the divorce ceremony, which the latter did. When the words were spoken, the mullah tore up all the marriage contracts.

The beauties of the harem realised that something terrible was happening and were stunned, for they knew nothing of the reason for this sudden change.

Now the Shah said to them: "If any of you still wish to marry me, despite the fact that I have become a commoner and will be a poor man, the mullah will remarry us."

Since he was young and handsome, all but two of the women agreed to remarry him. Besides, they were certain that this was all part of some joke and could not believe that he would suddenly become a commoner, for reasons unknown.

The two women who refused were two beauties who had been sent to the harem against their will. They said that though they had never been ill-treated by the Shah, they wished to receive their freedom. This was immediately granted to them.

One of the two was a Georgian girl who had been sent to the Shah as a gift from the ruler of Georgia. She quickly packed her jewels, clothing and gold trinkets and set out for home the very next day, escorted by a cousin. When she arrived, no one would believe her story. She was accused of having escaped from the harem. There was even talk of returning her by force, but eventually everyone forgot about her and she quietly married a young Georgian.

The other was the daughter of a rich merchant from Kazvin who had been engaged to a handsome young man. When the Shah's servants had heard of her great beauty they had hurried to tell the Shah about her. Soon after she was taken from her father's house and installed in the harem. She was now taking advantage of this rare chance to return home and soon married her betrothed.

After the other wives had been remarried to Abbas Muhammed ogly, the chief eunuch escorted them to a house on the outskirts. He then returned to the palace. Abbas Muhammed ogly was the last to leave the harem. He disappeared shortly after.

The saddle-maker's shop was located on the east side of the mosque square. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. Yusuf was busy making a harness which tyad been ordered for that day. Two of his friends sat nearby, listening intently as he spoke to them of the high prices that had ruined the poor that difficult year. He said that the previous year's drought and the lack of wate*- in Kazvin had killed most of the crops. This, in turn, had caused prices to soar. "I'm amazed at the government," he said. "It's had so many opportunities to bring water to the city, but isn't in the least concerned about such an important thing."

At that point a cloud of dust appeared on the west side of the square. Yusuf, needle in hand, raised his head to look out. He could see a solemn procession. Naturally, he had no way of knowing it was heading towards his shop. Twelve of the Shah's servants in bright uniforms and four-cornered hats led the procession. Following were twelve standard-bearers. Then came a crowd of palace servants, one of whom was carrying a large round tray on his head. Then came guards armed with poles and escorting the head groom, who was leading a high-spirited steed. The fine saddle and saddle-cloth were studded with gems, the chest-piece was embroidered with gold, the nose-piece was studded with pearls and a tassel of emeralds hung from its neck.

Next came the chief mullah, the commander of the troops, the grand vizier, the treasurer, the chief astrologer and his teacher, and all the rest of the Shah's courtiers, with mounted soldiers and soldiers on foot bringing up the rear. The grand procession came to a stop outside the saddle-maker's shop.

The chief mullah and the general stepped forward and bowed low to Yusuf. He was startled, but returned their greeting. The chief mullah was the first to speak. "It is written in the stars, Yusuf, that from this day forward you are to be our ruler. Shah Abbas is no longer the Shah of Iran. Have mercy on us and come to the palace, where you will be enthroned."

Yusuf the saddle-maker was stunned beyond words. He could not understand what had happened to have brought all the Shah's ministers to his doorstep. After a long pause he replied:

"Most esteemed mullah! I have always regarded you as one of the most sensible and influential men in Iran, but now... Are you sure you are in your right mind? Perhaps you've smoked hashish, and it is making you speak so strangely. I'm a simple tradesman. The idea of accepting the crown has never entered my mind, for a great chasm lies between the throne and me. As Allah is my witness, I don't know what you are getting at. I would greatly appreciate it if you left me alone and did not mock at me further."

The general was the next to come forth. "At present, Yusuf, you have been appointed ruler of Iran, and we are all your servants, the slaves of your most blessed court. It is unbefitting of you to ask us to do anything, for you are now our master. We are all in our right minds, and the will of the heavens is absolute. From this day on, you will be the Shah of Iran. That is why, as the chief mullah has had the pleasure of saying, we beg you to come to the palace in order that the coronation ceremony may be performed." He then turned to four of the palace servants and said: "Bring the Shah's raiments and help our ruler into them!"

They carried in the tray on which the vestments were folded and set it on the floor. It was useless to resist, and so Yusuf gave himself up to them. They took off his worn artisan's clothing and dressed him in the rich robes of the Shah. Then the head groom led the fine steed up and Yusuf was helped into the saddle, at which the entire procession turned and headed back to the palace, with the guards shouting loudly every so often, making the people move aside, for every living soul was now out in the streets, hanging out of their windows or clustering on their rooftops, gazing raptly at the grand procession, at a loss to understand what was happening.

When they reached the palace the servants helped Yusuf to dismount, the chief mullah and the commander of the Shah's troops escorted him to the Grand Throne Room with all due pomp, while the courtiers, scholars, high officials and the rest of the glittering court stood before him, their arms crossed on their chests, in respectful expectation, waiting for him to speak.

The chief mullah said a prayer, placed the crown on the saddle-maker's head, buckled on his sword, slipped on his gem-studded cuffs and handed him the royal sceptre. Then he said another prayer and turned to the court, saying they were now to hail the new Shah.

The shouts and cries of "Glory to him!" echoed and reechoed through the endless halls and chambers of the great palace. The musicians played a solemn anthem. Fireworks lit up the sky, and one hundred and ten salvoes were fired to commemorate the occasion.

Although Persian poetry went into decline after the demise of the great poets Sa'adi and Hafiz, for the work of the later poets was mostly an empty and flitting agglomeration of words, there were poets who came forth on this propitious day to recite beautiful odes in honour of Shah Yusuf. The rare qualities of the new Shah were extolled, and he was compared in wisdom to Solomon, in generosity to Khatem, in courage to Rustam and in might to the elements. The poets spoke of his ascension to the throne, saying:

When the ceremony was over, the chief mullah told the gathering they were free to disperse. The courtiers immediately left the palace. Shah Yusuf remained on the throne, while the chief eunuch, several lesser eunuchs, the major domo and several lesser servants waited obediently by his side. Members of the Shah's guard could be seen in the palace yard.

Yusuf was certain he was dreaming. He was silent for some time, then asked the chief eunuch who he and all the others were.

"We are your faithful servants, the eunuchs of the Shah's harem. I am the chief eunuch, and these are my helpers."

The same conversation was repeated when Shah Yusuf asked the servants who they were. He was also told that the guards outside were waiting for his command. At this, Shah Yusuf said: "I wish you all to leave, everyone except the chief eunuch."

When they had all gone, he called the chief eunuch over and said: "I can see by your expression that you are an honest man. Please tell me what this is all about. I can't believe that you don't know the reason for all of this, since you live in the palace,"

Indeed, the chief eunuch was a simple, honest person, and so he decided to tell the new Shah all he knew. Since he had always stood in waiting outside Shah Abbas' door, he knew all of his sovereign's secrets and could now recount the events of the afternoon in detail to Shah Yusuf.

"He changed into a commoner's clothes and vanished. No one knows where he is."

Shah Yusuf was an intelligent man. He had never believed in the prophecy of the stars, but this unexpected rise to power frightened him. In the end, however, and since he had been crowned by the ruling classes, he could not resign and was thus forced by circumstances to take over the management of the government.

He began by summoning the head of the guard. "Take twelve soldiers, go to the city and arrest the chief mullah, the commander of the troops, the grand vizier, the treasurer, the chief astrologer and his teacher and put them all in the prison in Arik. Report back to me when you have carried out my order."

Shah Yusuf then summoned the major domo, told him he had not eaten in hours and was hungry, at which the man replied that all the cooks and chefs were busy preparing His Highness' dinner.

Shah Yusuf then said he would like to inspect the palace, the harem and his own bedroom.

The chief eunuch and the major domo led the way. The first hall was richly carpeted. The ceiling and walls were covered with paintings of birds, flowers and grasses. In the second hall, which was also richly carpeted, the walls were hung with portraits of former Shahs of the Safawid dynasty and princes of the blood who had gained fame in the arts. The third hall held a collection of portraits of famous Shahs of former dynasties. The walls of the fourth were covered with frescoes depicting scenes from the Shah-name in which Iranian warriors of yore battled the horned arid tailed divs of Mazenderan. The paintings in the next hall depicted the campaigns of Shah Ismail. The walls of the harem rooms were covered with paintings of youths and maidens. The youths were shown offering the maidens bouquets, as the maidens held out gold cups of wine to them. There was a sumptuous bed in each of the harem rooms.

Shah Yusuf chose one of these rooms as his bedroom. Then he asked the chief eunuch where the clothes and jewels of the former Shah's wives were kept and was told that they were all locked up in a special room and that the only Keeper of the Chests had the key to it. He was immediately summoned and told to unlock the great room. Chests both large and small stood along the walls. Shah Yusuf was shown the beautiful clothes, the cashmere shawls, the silks, brocades, gold, filigree bouquets and diadems of semi-precious stones, the diamond earrings, rings, pearls and many other luxuries.

Shah Yusuf had three daughters and two sons. His eldest daughter was fourteen, the next was twelve and the youngest was eight, while his sons were six and four. He chose a golden bouquet, a ring, a necklace, a pair of earrings, a fine Byzantine shawl and a lovely gown for each of his daughters. He chose a shawl and gown for his wife, and then handed every thing over to the chief eunuch, telling him to take everything to his house in the city and give it to his wife. Shah Yusuf also told him to calm his wife's fears concerning his own whereabouts, and that she was to send his sons to the palace the following day.

The sun would soon be setting. The major domo asked the Shah to return to the first hall, where candles set in gold candle-sticks had been lit and the Shah's dinner would be served. The Shah performed the evening ablution and prayer and sat down. Servants carried in the various dishes. After he had eaten, the cloth was removed. He washed his hands over a small basin with water poured from a pitcher, and then coffee was served. After that a hookah was set before him.

As he was smoking, the head of the palace guard entered to report that the Shah's orders had been carried out. Then the chief eunuch entered to report that the gifts had been received with great excitement and that his family was no longer worried about him.

The Shah then asked them about matters of interest to him. Night had fallen. He finally went off to his bedroom, telling the head of the guard to station the palace guards as they had always been stationed. He soon fell asleep. The major domo and the chief eunuch both departed for their own chambers.

The following day Shah Yusuf summoned his faithful friends to the palace and appointed them chief mullah, commander of the troops, grand vizier and treasurer, respectively. He abolished the post of the chief astrologer as being detrimental to the people and the nation.

The Shah decreed that all provincial rulers were to receive orders to discontinue taxing the population unjustly, to stop demanding bribes from the populace under threat of legal punishment, to stop executing and torturing them by gouging out their eyes or cutting off their ears and noses. He then appointed his own trusted men as government officials in every district. They were to collect data on the state of affairs in each given district, on the needs of the populace and report back to him.

Shah Yusuf summoned these newly-appointed official overseers to the palace and addressed them as follows: "Speaking in my name, tell the rulers of the provinces to fear the Almighty, mete out justice fairly and not plunder the people by means of unlawful taxation and extortion. Impress upon them the fact that such conduct will bring about their own downfall and perhaps even death. They know from experience that those who become rich at the expense of others often end their days as paupers, or by being beheaded. No single tribe of Ariana ever retained treasures acquired through unjust taxation or outright robbery. Each official that became wealthy in the government service was sooner or later brought to justice by the Iranian rulers, who confiscated this wealth and either executed the offenders by some ghastly means or else doomed them to penury for the rest of their natural lives. In this way the rulers of the provinces are like leeches that have become bloated from the blood they have sucked, but then lose everything when they are torn away. Many of the leeches perish, while the remainder are weak and helpless. If the rulers of the provinces reduce their demands and are content to live within the limits of their legal salaries, their futures will be guaranteed, the people will respect them, they will receive promotions, increase their fortunes and be known as just men." He then dismissed the gathering.

The Shah decreed that the palace expenses be cut; that the roads and bridges be repaired; that caravan-serais be built along the roads between towns and large settlements; that schools and hospitals be built in each district; that canals be dug and water brought to areas suffering from drought; that widows, orphans, the crippled and the blind all receive pensions.

Shah Yusuf then decreed that all good-for-nothings be banned from joining the ranks of the clergy and that each man who wished to attain this office receive special permission from the chief mullah; that the number of mullahs conform to the needs of the population; that the clergy henceforth be given salaries from the treasury, thus making dependent upon the government and thus silencing the mullahs who claimed that all government officials who received salaries were parasites.

Then he set up special courts of law to handle all cases pertaining to the government, and to take them away from the jurisdiction of the clergy. In this way he wanted the people to feel independent of the clergy in matters concerning lawsuits and not have to seek the advice of the mullahs in settling their controversies, but appeal to the state courts.

He decreed that donations to charity and other money collected for the poor be handed over to the four most honest citizens of the city. They were to distribute the funds in accordance with the needs of the various poor families and were then to present an annual report on the sums spent. In this way the Shah wished to distribute the public funds fairly among the needy.

He abolished the custom of every person contributing one-fifth of his income towards the support of the clergy and the sayyids, the descendants of the Prophet, in order that said descendants at last gave up their life of alms-collecting and begin to work honestly like the rest of the population. Much-respected mullahs found corresponding references in the Koran, and this tax was abolished on the basis of their findings.

The Shah decreed that the following order be read out in all the provinces: henceforth, no one was to dare offer gifts to him or to any of his dignitaries or officials, nor to try to obtain any office for himself by means of gifts, since all posts were to go to men who had proven their honesty and ability in matters of government.

All state income from the provinces was to go to the Treasury and be under the jurisdiction of trusted officials in the districts. All the classes, including the clergy, were to pay a tenth of their income to the Treasury if they lived in the town, and one-twentieth if they lived in the country. All soldiers and officials were to receive their salaries regularly.

Shah Yusuf learned that when the head groom took the Treasury horses to the mountain pastures each year he lorded it over the local population and extracted a tithe from them; that the commander of the artillery troops appropriated the salaries of all the cannoneers; that the director of the Treasury passed out counterfeit coins among the population; that the chief of police of Kazvin accepted bribes; that the tax collectors hounded the poor and were extremely lenient towards the rich; that the street elders did not look after the cleanliness of the streets.

The Shah ordered all the above officials to be dismissed, and honest, hard-working men to be appointed to their posts.

The imprisoned chief mullah was told by his jailer that his worst enemy, Molla Ramazan, had been appointed chief mullah. He could not take the blow and died of a heart attack.

Shah Yusuf ordered the streets of Kazvin to be widened and the ruts and pot-holes to be filled in so that the people would no longer break their bones during falls. At the Shah's order the city poor were issued grain from the state granaries, for there had been a terrible drought and starvation threatened. A council was set up to work out a plan for bringing water to the city.

There was a small Dutch colony near the Persian Gulf, and an ambassador and his retinue had arrived in Kazvin at the time described to sign a trade agreement with Iran. Shah Yusuf received the ambassador and signed the agreement. The Dutchmen left with rich gifts from the Shah. They were amazed at his hospitality, intelligence, far-sightedness and royal bearing.

A week had now passed since Yusuf had ascended the throne. Each day was marked by new decrees, all of which were beneficial to the people. A new golden era had come to Iran. Unfortunately, however, man never values that which is truly precious and advantageous. For instance, what did Adam and Eve lack in the Garden of Eden? Yet, they disobeyed God's command and were banished from Heaven. Such is the inherent nature of man!

The people of Kazvin no longer saw butchered bodies hanging from the city gates; they no longer saw executioners mutilating and hanging their fellow-citizens, gouging out their eyes, cutting off their ears and noses, and this seemed strange and incomprehensible to them. At first, the people said:

"The new Shah must be a kind and timid man."

Then they began to wonder whether he really was so very kind and merciful, or whether he simply lacked a firm hand and was a weakling. In the end, they found he had endless other shortcomings as well. In a word, their peaceful life under a wise and humane ruler soon appeared terribly monotonous and dull to them.

The former officials noted this change in popular opinion and each waited for his chance to strike back, to foment discontent and disorder.

Shortly thereafter a mutiny broke out in Kazvin, led by the former head groom. He had met by chance with another former official and had said: "What are the people of Kazvin saying about the new Shah?"

"As Allah is my witness, the simple people are wiser than we are. Do you realise how stupid we were to have voluntarily put an ignorant saddle-maker on the throne? We brought all this trouble on ourselves. The Shah has cast us aside, and only because we were devoted to the throne and served our country honestly and selflessly. He has degraded us so that every last dog in the province is held in greater respect than we. Mark my words, we have disgraced ourselves in the eyes of the whole world."

"But we never chose him to be our Shah! Such was the will of Shah Abbas! We had no other choice but to obey."

"I agree, Shah Abbas was our ruler, and his every word was our command. But now, when Shah Abbas is no longer our ruler, what's to prevent us from dethroning and killing this scoundrel, this cursed infidel who, they say, actually believes in the transference of the soul! After we get rid of him we can crown the most deserving member of the noble dynasty of Safawids. Everyone will obey such a Shah, for he will be of royal blood."

"You are speaking wisely, and I agree with everything you've said. But there are only two of us. What can we do? Don't you think we should go straight to the former commander of the artillery troops and talk it over with him? After all, he's also been dismissed."

The former commander was overjoyed to see them. He listened to their plans, agreed with them wholeheartedly and said he was ready to take part in an uprising against Shah Yusuf. However, he added that if they did not enlist the aid of the present head of the cavalry troops they would be doomed to failure. "He's a very dear friend of mine," the commander continued, "and I'll take it upon myself to gain his consent. I'll prove to him that under the infidel Shah Yusuf no one can be sure of his future, and that sooner or later he, too, will be dismissed, just as we were. I'll tell him he's duty-bound to help stop the evil before disaster strikes him, too. I'm sure he'll listen to me. Besides, yesterday the Shah reprimanded him publicly during a reception for having dared to enter a mosque for prayers when he was drunk. If he joins us, I'm sure the commander of the infantry will, too. They are cousins and brothers-in-law, so there should not be any trouble there. I suggest you both go to see the former chief of police of Kazvin. Bring him around to our side, and make him promise to use all his influence on the former police officials and street elders who were his subordinates until last week."

Each of the plotters went off to carry out his part of the scheme. Four days later they all gathered in secret and agreed that the time was ripe for an uprising. They decided to surround the palace at dawn on the coming Saturday, rush into the Shah's quarters, kill Shah Yusuf and proclaim a member of the Safawid dynasty the new Shah.