Footage from Iranian Shah’s visit to Türkiye unveiled

ANKARA

Footage from Iranian Shah Reza Pahlavi’s 1934 visit to Türkiye has been unearthed from the archives of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Cinema.

The film, discovered during the digitization of thousands of archival documents and reels, captures the Shah’s entry into the country, his overland journey to Trabzon and his boarding of a ship there, moments from one of the most discussed state visits of its time.

Nihat Değirmenci, Head of the Support Services and Archive Department of the General Directorate of Cinema, said that the Shah’s visit represented a milestone in the history of Republican protocol organization.

“It was a visit personally ordered by Atatürk, for which preparations were made for months and many officials were assigned,” Değirmenci said. “Considering the conditions of 1934, it was highly unusual for a head of state to travel for such a long period. The Shah’s visit lasted around 27 days. Though initially planned to be shorter, he extended it by his own wish, and Atatürk himself joined him for parts of the journey. The itinerary was frequently adjusted based on their mutual interest and developments during the visit.”

Değirmenci said they were surprised when they came across the footage. “We did not expect to find the Shah’s entry into Anatolia. We already had the film showing Atatürk welcoming the Shah at the Ankara train station, which features the clearest recording of Atatürk’s voice, and footage from the Istanbul leg of the trip. But we didn’t have anything from before that,” he explained.

He continued: “When we identified the film during our digital scans, we were thrilled. It includes the Shah’s entry into Türkiye on June 10, 1934, through what was then called Gürcübulak Gate, his reception, his route through Doğubayazıt and Iğdır to Kars, and his visit to the village of ‘VladiKars,’ founded by Russians 10 kilometers outside Kars. In the footage, Ali Sait Pasha personally explains the First World War and the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War to the Shah, who listens intently. The film also shows his stay in Kars, his grand reception in Erzurum, and his journey from Erzurum to Trabzon through the Zigana Pass. We can observe the topography of Türkiye at the time, its architecture and even the clothing styles. The footage confirms that the visit was the first major protocol event in the Republic’s history.”

Değirmenci added that the film also contains frames of the Shah being received in Trabzon by Foreign Minister Tevfik Rüştü Aras and his voyage aboard the Yavuz battleship from Trabzon to Samsun, after which he traveled to Ankara by train.

Search continues for the third part of the film

Noting that the Shah stayed in Ankara for a week before traveling to İzmir via Eskişehir, Kütahya, Afyon and Uşak, and later visiting Çanakkale, Değirmenci said the third part of the film, covering these stages, has not yet been found.

“If anyone holds these remaining reels, we would be happy to scan and preserve them. They are part of our country’s visual heritage,” he said. “Historical sources indicate that during this visit, the Shah toured the Gallipoli battlefields with Atatürk. If those scenes are ever discovered, it would be a tremendous addition to our archive.”