When I visited the Iranian city of Shiraz, one of the points of my cultural program was the Military Museum of the named city, located in the palace building in the picturesque Afif-Abad garden. Not far from the entrance, in the courtyard in a worthy place, I saw a cannon, as it seemed to me, from the 19th century. Like an old gunner, I headed straight for her. Of course, I drew attention to the breech of the gun, where, to my delight, I saw the inscription in Russian: "St. Petersburg", and then - in Farsi and Russian:
Turkmanchay treatise - a peace treaty between Russia and Persia, signed in February 1828. This treaty marked the end of the last Russian-Persian war (1826-1828). After that, the rapprochement between Russia and Persia began, which continued until 1917, when a new stage began in relations between our states.
Unfortunately, there is no explanatory plate near the gun, and under it there is a pointer that has nothing to do with the gun. None of the Iranians read the inscription in Farsi, since the cannon is resting with its breech in a beautiful flower bed, and it is inconvenient to approach it from behind: I myself slightly crumpled this flower bed, taking the pictures presented here. Therefore, the Iranians, taking pictures with pleasure next to the cannon, do not understand the historical significance of this exhibit, which has become, in fact, a historical symbol of military-technical cooperation between Russia and Iran, which takes place in our time. This is also relevant in connection with the current political situation in the Near and Middle East, when our countries are allies in the fight against international terrorism and in countering the aggressiveness of the United States.
Here I appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation represented by the Russian Embassy in Iran and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation represented by the military attaché of the said embassy with a request to pay attention to this provision of the historical monument and, if possible, correct it in memory of our ancestors and as a Russian-Iranian history.
Later I learned that several samples of cannons of the same casting are kept in the Saadabad Military Museum (the residence of the Persian, and since 1935 - Iranian shahs). I did not see them with my own eyes, because the named museum on the day of my visit to Saadabad was closed to visitors. There is only one such cannon in Shiraz.
Any Russian who finds himself in Shiraz! Visit our compatriot there. She's lonely there …
