Ardashes Badmagrian or Artashes Patmgrian (known as Ardashir Khan) (1863–1928) was an Iranian Armenian Movie Theater owner. Badmagarian had worked at Pathé in Paris at the turn of the century and had brought back to Persia the cinematograph, the phonograph, and the bicycle.[1]

Ardashes Badmagrian
Born1863
Died1928 (aged 64–65)
OccupationMovie Theater owner

Biography

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Born in 1863, he was an Armenian living in Tabriz and known as "Vosouq al-Tojar". A textile merchant, he always journeyed to neighboring countries, and once traveling to France in 1900, he saw moving pictures on screen. He brought with him a bicycle, a gramophone and a film projector as souvenirs. He opened a saloon in 1912 in "ʿAlāʾ-al-Dawla Street" (now renamed Ferdowsi street) and called it "Tajadod Cinemaa". His saloon was closed the following year for unknown reasons, and he opened a new one, "Modern Cinema", in 1915, which was also closed. A pioneer in inaugurating movie-theaters, Areshir Khan was so persistent that he opened the third one, "Khorshid Cinema", in 1917. He usually imported the films he screened in his saloons, and when he failed to import new films, "Khorshid Cinema" was also to close. His fourth attempt led to a roofless cinema located in Amiriye neighborhood and next to main lamp post, which was impeded by the running of his film projector, and so had it to be wound up on police decree. He went to Paris for medical cure in 1928, but died there following an aborted surgery.[2][3][4][5][6]

Notes

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^a Modernity Movie Theater

References

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  1. ^ "CINEMA i. History of Cinema in Persia". Iranica. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  2. ^ Armenians And Iranian Cinema. Tehran: Film Museum Of Iran. Summer 2004. p. 77. ISBN 964-6728-44-8.
  3. ^ Janet D. Lazarian (2003). Encyclopedia of Iranian Armenians. Tehran: Hirmand Publisher. pp. 409–410. ISBN 964-6974-50-3.
  4. ^ Andranik Hovian (2002). Iranian Armenians. Tehran: Center for International Cultura. p. 320. ISBN 9643630072.
  5. ^ Yann Richard (1989). Entre l'Iran et l'Occident: adaptation et assimilation des idées et. ISBN 9782735103300.
  6. ^ Hamid Naficy (16 September 2011). A Social History of Iranian Cinema, Volume 1: The Artisanal Era, 1897–1941. ISBN 9780822347750.