Hunting Ritual in Historical Sources of the Qajar Period (Hunting and Hunting in the Qajar Era)

Animal hunting was common in the Qajar era, especially during the reigns of Nasser al-Din Shah and Mozaffar al-Din Shah (as mentioned later in this summary, animal hunting was common throughout Iranian history and until the end of the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah). During the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah, the custom of hunting, which had long been common in Iran, became more prosperous, and the Shah's attention to this matter led to its spread among the nobles and the people (it is unlikely that hunting spread among the people simply because of the Shah's attention). And as will be discussed later in this summary, hunting was a way of life for the people. Furthermore, the mere fact that the king was interested in hunting does not mean that hunting was widespread, but only that such and such a king and his entourage went hunting more. After the Nasser era, hunting, which originated from Iranian culture and history (hunting had been prevalent in Iran and most human societies since ancient times), continued on the same path. Recreation and spending free time, which had been of interest to governments and people in Iran, continued during this period. Hunting was considered one of the ways to spend time, which was a means of entertainment for most of the nobility and often a means of livelihood for the general public. Of course, it should be noted that hunting for the king and princes, in addition to being a form of entertainment, was also a form of physical and mental preparation for running the government. The present study, relying on first-hand sources and travelogues, has examined the process, application, and ritual of hunting from the Nasserian era to the Constitutional Era. This research is based on the question: What was the practical and ritual use of hunting in the Nasserid era until the Constitutional Revolution? The results of the research show that hunting in the era of Nasser al-Din Shah and until the Constitutional Revolution, despite some obstacles such as environmental destruction and the extinction of animal species, received more attention and emphasis both in the form of government attention and public prosperity. The Shah's interest in hunting caused the elders, nobles, and the people to pay attention to this issue as well as the Shah.