Police Administration (Nazmiyeh)
In 1328 AH, with the approval and order of Zahir al-Dawlah, Governor of Tehran, Abd al-Razzaq Khan Baghayiri was commissioned to prepare a map of all the districts (bolukāt) of Tehran. According to the information he recorded in the margins of his map, it was drawn on the basis of several earlier maps: the map of the districts surrounding Tehran by Abd al-Rasul Khan, an engineer, prepared during the tenure of Amir Kabir; the map of the city of Tehran prepared by Najm al-Dawlah; maps of Dowlat, Dushan Tappeh, Ozgol, Saltanatabad, Tajrish, Evin, Darakeh, Vanak, and Amirabad prepared by seven Austrian officers; and maps of Yousefabad, Behjatabad, and Jalalieh prepared by Monsieur Vette. It also drew upon the German engineer Stahl Khan’s map of the area west of the Karaj River.
Another important government institution that underwent transformation and reorganization during this period was the Nazmiyeh, or police administration. Following the establishment of the revolutionary government in 1327 AH/1909 CE, Yeprem Khan assumed command of the Nazmiyeh and remained in office until Mozzafar Aʿlam was appointed in 1328 AH.
With the assistance of a group of his fellow mojahids, some of whom had previously served in the police forces in Turkey and the Caucasus, Yeprem Khan introduced changes to Tehran’s existing police organization. He established mounted police units to patrol the city at night and foot-patrol units to guard important points in the capital.
The local police stations were moved from the houses of the kadkhodas (neighborhood headmen) to designated centers known as komisariyās (komisari). The city was divided into six districts, with one komisari established in each district. The headquarters of the Nazmiyeh was located in Topkhaneh Square.
These komisariyās were responsible for addressing all petitions and complaints submitted within their respective districts and reporting their actions to the central headquarters. The six komisariyās were as follows:
Chāl-Meydān Neighborhood Komisari, located in Yahya Khan Passage, in the house of Vaqayeʿnegar;
ʿUdlayān Neighborhood Komisari, located at the Panjmanar Three-Way Junction;
ʿAbbāsābād Bazaar Neighborhood Komisari;
Darugheh Komisari, located in Kuch-e Chahār-Suq-e Kuchak;
Shahr-e Now Komisari; and
Sangalaj Komisari, located on Farmānfarma Street.
(Morteza Tafreshi, Nazm o Nazmiyeh dar Dowreh-ye Qajar, vol. 1, p. 159, Tehran, 1362 SH; Mohammad Nazem al-Eslam Kermani, Tarikh-e Bidari-ye Iranian, vol. 1, p. 525, Tehran, 1363 SH.)
