مجموعة ٢٨/ ١٢٩ "النفط؛ امتيازات النفط في شمال بلاد فارس؛ طلب مقدم من الحكومة السوفيتية." [ظ‎‎١‎٢] (٦٥٥/٢٥)

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7• Death of Amin-i-Ma 8 adin - Rights under the 1880 Farman
pass to various heirs - Khostharia obtains a claim to
certain of these rights * ——
Upon the death of the Amin-i-Ma’adin (it is understood that
this occurred at the end of the last century) the rights under
the Parman of 1880 passed to various individuals and relations
who were his heirs.
The death of the Amin-i-Ma’adin did not produce any marked
change in the tempo of operations in the Khourian and work no
doubt continued in the same desultory and primitive fashion as
heretofore.
But times were changing, the great importance of petroleum
and the enormous value of the deposits granted under the D’Arcy
concession were becoming known.
Under these circumstances it is not surprising that the
petroleum rights contained in the old document of 1880 , rights
now shared by several persons, should attract the attention of
a man like Khostharia.
It is improbable that the complete and true story of how
Khostharia was able to purchase the rights of some of the
various heirs v/ill ever be fully known. It must be borne in
mind, however, that more than one of the co-heirs were people
of little education who could no doubt be fairly easily per
suaded to part with their share of the rights for a sum in
cash down. It may also hove occurred to more than one heir
that these v/ere rights that they were never likely to be able
to exercise effectively and that cash in hand was worth more
than some doubtful future prospect.
It would appear that some at least of the transactions
took place in the town of Semnan, where in accordance with the
lav* they v/ere witnessed by a Mulla of that place. It is also
said that an attempt was made in 1916 or 1917 to induce the
principal heir (who was actually in possession of the Parman) to
part with the document.
But at this time Khostharia did not succeed in obtaining
possession of the paper.
The one fact v/hich does emerge from the complicated history
of these purchases and intrigues is that Khostharia succeeded in
establishing a claim to some part of the rights granted under
the original Parman.
These events v/ere not allowed to pass unnoticed in the
public debates of the time, but although a great deal of criti
cism and comment v/as provoked, nothing definite resulted.
8 . Khostharia’s status and his relations to the Russian Bank.
Khostharia was originally a Russian subject of Georgia and
he is described in Russian consular documents of pre-revolution
days as being a ”gentleman” of that province.
Khostharia was a man of great activity and of considerable
ability, his many intrigues and activities such as the sale of
the ''Khostharia Concession”( 1 )to the Anglo Persian Oil Company
(l) The ! 'Khostharia Gone ess ion”. This concession based partly
on a Parman of 1896 was granted in 1916 and 1917 by the
Persian Government to Khostharia. The latter sold it to
the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1920. In 1920 the Persian
Government informed the A.P.O.C. that the concession was
null and void.