In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs. Christopher de Bellaigue

      

      CHRISTOPHER DE BELLAIGUE

       In the Rose Gardenof the Martyrs

      A Memoir of Iran

       COPYRIGHT

      HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

      www.harpercollins.co.uk

      This edition published by HarperPress 2005

      First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2004

      Copyright © Christopher de Bellaigue 2004

      Sections of this book have appeared in Granta, the London Review of Books and the Paris Review

      Christopher de Bellaigue asserts the moral right to

      be identified as the author of this work

      Extracts from the poetry of Rumi reprinted

      by permission of Threshold Productions

      A catalogue record for this book is

      available from the British Library

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      Source ISBN: 9780007113941

      Ebook Edition © MARCH 2013 ISBN 9780007372812

      Version: 2019-07-24

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       DEDICATION

      Each day more than yesterday,

      and less than tomorrow

      CONTENTS

       COVER

       TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT

NOTE TO READERS

DEDICATION

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

MAPS OF IRAN

1 Karbala

2 Isfahan

       3 A Sacred Calling

       4 Qom

       5 Lovers

       6 Reza Ingilisi

       7 Gas

       8 Parastu

       9 Friends

       10 Ashura

       BIBLIOGRAPHY

       ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

       ABOUT THE AUTHOR

       AUTHOR’S NOTE

       PRAISE

       ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

       DRAMATIS PERSONAE

      Abdolrahman, Hassan: American convert to Islam who carried out an assassination on behalf of the Islamic Republic and then took refuge in Iran.

      Alavi Tabar, Ali-Reza: Islamic revolutionary and holy warrior in the war against Iraq who later became an influential figure in Muhammad Khatami’s reform movement.

      Amini, Reza: subordinate of the famous Isfahani commander Hossein Kharrazi.

      Bani-Sadr, Abolhassan: the Islamic Republic’s first president, who later revolted against Ayatollah Khomeini and was forced into exile.

      Bazargan, Mehdi: provisional prime minister after the Revolution, who resigned during the US hostage crisis.

      Emami, Saeed: senior Intelligence Ministry figure of the 1990s, alleged mastermind of the ‘serial murders’ of dissidents.

      Forouhar, Darioush: a minister after the Revolution, he fell out with the religious establishment and was one of the final victims of the ‘serial murders’.

      Forouhar, Parastu: justice-seeking daughter of Darioush Forouhar.

      Ganji, Akhar: investigative journalist, jailed for his part in exposing the ‘serial murders’ of dissidents in the 1990s.

      Ghorbanifar, Manuchehr: arms dealer involved in the Iran – Contra scandal.

      Hashemi, Mehdi: fanatical revolutionary whose rift with the establishment led to the exposure of the