The Autonomous Government of Khorasan was a short-lived military state set up in Iran. It was formally established on the April 2, 1921, and collapsed a few months later, on October 6, 1921. Their capital was Mashhad.
Major Administrative Towns: Nishapur, Quchan, Bojnourd, Sabzevar, Torbat-e Heydarieh, Torbat-e-Jam, Ferdows, Tabas, Birjand
Type of Government: Military Government, Secular, Nationalist
Area: Consisted of current Iranian provinces: Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan, North Khorasan, Golestan as well as region of Sistan
Ethnic groups: Persian, Khorasani Turkish, Kurdish, Turkmen, Baluch, Arabic, Barbari, Qarai Turks
Religions: Shia Islam, Sunni Islam, Baháʼí Faith
Currency: Persian Dinar Currency Photos
Total Armed Forces: 5,000 Gendarms in October, 1921
President of the National Committee of Khorasan (NCK): Colonel Mohammad Taqi Pessian 2 April 1921 to 3 October 1921
Acting Governor-General Major Mahmoud Khan Nowzari 4 October 1921 to early November, 1921 (Khorasan under Nowzari was not autonomous fully, as Nowzari had surrendered to Persia and was simply acting Governor until arrival of Persia's appointed governor into Mashhad.
Selfimposed Governor-General Major Ismail Khan Bahador was second-in-command to Pesyan and after Pesyan's death he tried to maintain Khorasan's independence and continue Pesyan's path. He launched a coup against Nowzari on 16 October 1921 when he had him arrested and declared himself Governor-General of Khorasan which didn't last long as Nowzari received help and was rescued from prison.
Other senior government officials
a. From 24 August to 3 October.b. Until 24 August.c. Also known as "Aghazadeh".
Regional Administrators and Tribal Chieftains
On April 2, 1921, Colonel Pesyan, Chief of Gendarmerie of Khorasan, along with his cousin General Heydargholli Pesyan, a commander of the Iranian Cossack Brigade, had Ahmad Qavam, the Governor-general of Khorasan, removed in a military coup. He was arrested and sent to Tehran. Qavam and several other dominant figures in Khorasan were charged with tax evasion charges, the evidence for which were provided to Pesyan by a Belgian named Dubois who was Director of Revenue in Khorasan.
While Qavam was in prison in Tehran, Pesyan was declared Governor-general of Khorasan and ruled Khorasan autonomously even though he was a supporter of Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee, then the Prime Minister of Persia.
In May 1921, Qavam was freed from prison and Tabatabaee was no longer Prime Minister. Qavam became Prime Minister and planned to take revenge on Pesyan. As of May 30, 1921, Pesyan declared that Khorasan was fully Autonomous and he established the National Committee of Khorasan or Komitey-e Melli-e Khorasan in Persian. The committee started a program of plans and reforms, but faced some fierce opposition by some tribal and religious leaders.
Commenced between 2 April to 25 May