The ceremony, organized by the Chahar Bagh Tourism Development Association of Mashad, read a poem by members of the Islamic Council of Mashad and citizens of Farideh Pessian, the nephew of Colonel Mohammad Taghi Khan.
Colonel Mohammad Taqi-Khan Pessian (1892 - 3 October 1921) born into an aristocratic family in Tabriz, was a popular military leader of Iran and became a national hero after his assassination. He is also famously known as being the first Iranian to successfully pilot an aircraft.
He became head of the provincial Autonomous Government of Khorasan. When Ahmad Qavam was released from prison and became Premier of Iran, he tried to take revenge on Pessian and together with Reza Khan who was Minister of War ordered that Pessian should be beheaded, this, in fact, happened in October 3, 1921 when Pessian and his small force of 150 gendarmes were circled by a force of 1,000+-strong Kurdish tribesmen in a battle fought near Quchan, his head was brought to Tehran to prove that he had been killed.
For five continuous years after his death, on October 3, people of Khorasan mourned his death. However, when Reza Shah came to power, mourning for Pessian was banned. The Pessian family had been rivals to Reza Khan and had opposed the British plan to install him as Shah.
He is buried in Mashad, Khorasan in the same garden that contains Nader Shah's tomb.
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