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From a Nayríz Mosque Wall
After the first Nayríz upheaval, Siyyid Ibráhím, a Muslim cleric, used the inner wall of a mosque to write an account of Vahíd’s arrival in Nayríz, his able leadership of the Bábís at Khájih Fortress, his perfidious capture at the hand of government forces, and ultimately his martyrdom. The mosque is the Masjid-i Jami` Saghir, located in the Bazaar district of Nayríz. The lengthy inscription was hidden for years under a layer of dirt and dust. It was discovered by an archeologist visiting historic buildings in 1940. After the layers of dirt were removed, the archeologist gave a copy of the full inscription to the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Nayríz. According to H.M. Balyuzi in his biography The Bab: Although he [Ibráhím] had to write with circumspection to avoid being denounced, he composed his narrative in such a way that one can, without difficulty, read more of it between the lines. His account bears out the fact that Vahíd was given solemn assurances, that he was received with great esteem and reverence, that those who had pledged their word broke their pledges, that the quarter of Chinar-Sukhtih, which was then a stronghold of the Bábís of Nayríz, and the quarter of Bazar were sacked, that houses were demolished, huge sums of money extorted, and Nayríz was reduced to a state of desolation. (p. 182) A transcription of Siyyid Ibráhím’s account is offered in Persian with a link to an English translation. View Siyyid Ibráhím's Account |
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