The Transformation of a City's Destiny: Why Was Tehran Chosen as the Capital of Iran?

As the collapse of the Zand dynasty was imminent and the political legitimacy crisis in Iran was exacerbated, the stage was set for competition among various tribal groups and power-seeking forces. The Qajar tribe—one of the Qizilbash clans—gradually but firmly established its position by drawing upon its military tradition, familial ties, and the power vacuum after the collapse of the Safavid dynasty. Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, the leader of this tribe and the founder of the Qajar dynasty, made one of his most significant political decisions by selecting Tehran as the capital of his new state. This choice had a lasting impact on Iran's political and geographical destiny. This study intends to examine the reasons and motives behind that decision. Based on historical sources and a descriptive-analytical method, the research takes into account the central question: why, despite the existence of more ancient and more powerful cities, Tehran, above all, was chosen as the capital of the new dynasty? The findings reveal that the selection resulted from an accumulation of interconnected geographical, military, political, and economic factors. Tehran's fairly central location—distant from dangerous regions of the time—its proximity to Astarabad (the Qajar birthplace and recruiting ground), and its location on vital trade and communications lines between northern and central Iran were all of the greatest significance.

Furthermore, the relatively small and manageable urban fabric of Tehran, the absence of powerful local elites that would be able to challenge the central power, and the possibility to establish administrative and military institutions without the need to confront consolidated social structures made it a uniquely preferable choice among other major Iranian cities of the period.