ABSTRACT
In 1921 much of south-central Iran was controlled by the khavanin-i buzurg, the great khans, of the Bakhtiyari tribal confederation.1 The great khans of the Bakhtiyari had become among the wealthiest and most powerful of the tribal leaderships. As well as their domination of the confederation and its territories, the great khans had, as a result of their contribution to the restoration of constitutional rule in 1909, established themselves as a factor in national politics and had also since then come to dominate the governments of several provinces ringing Bakhtiyari. Furthermore, they had become extremely wealthy, particularly in terms of landed property, as a result of their monopoly of tribal leadership, the spoils of office and their British connections.
