Daily life in Iran in the light of memories and travelogues (1896-1800)

The end of the 18th century, when the Qajar domination began in Iran, also coincided with a period when the transition from the traditional society to the industrial society accelerated in the world. The developments in the field of industry and the increasing need for raw materials accelerated the relations between the western and eastern societies. As a result of these relations based on exploitation, developing societies began to resemble dominant societies in many respects. While this process was fast in some societies, it was a bit slower and more painful in communities like Iran, where cultural phenomena have been shaped for centuries. The Qajar kings during their reign had to struggle with both the traditional social perceptions and the invasion and colonial policies of the western states. The social transformation experienced in the aforementioned period was slow and stagnant during the periods of Agha Muhammed Khan, Feth Ali Shah and Muhammed Shah, where the state focused on institutionalization. The essential transformatioln towards westernization in Iranian society accelerated during the reign of Nasir al-Din Shah, the powerful ruler of the Qajar Dynasty, and continued during the constitutional monarchy. The transition experienced towards modernization have generally revolved around the struggle of the two powers -the political will to try to transform society and the traditionalists and clergy who oppose innovation. There was little change in clothing, food, religious ceremonies and activities where religious sensitivities were intense. On the other hand, there were more transformations in matters such as the military and education, where the political authority was dominant. In this thesis, we tried to deal with the historical foundations of cultural elements such as weddings, birth and death, feasts, ceremonies, food culture applied in Iranian society during the Qajar Dynasty, and the changes in them, if any, with westernization.