Connecting the Russian-Persian Border via the Julfa-Tabriz Railway from the Late 19th Century to 1916

This article examines the decision-making process among the highest levels of the Russian bureaucracy regarding the need to build a railway in northwestern Persia. This railway was intended to serve as an extension of the Transcaucasian network and facilitate the transport of goods between the two neighboring states. The article presents the key milestones in the construction and commissioning of the railway and analyzes traffic on the newly opened line during its first year of operation. The purpose of the study is to assess the significance of constructing the Julfa-Tabriz Railway for both Russia and Persia. The research findings suggest that the railway was poised to become a successful infrastructure project for the Russian Empire: an effective logistical tool for stimulating Russian-Persian trade, strengthening Russia's political position in Persia, and fostering rapprochement between the peoples of the two neighboring states. The author concludes that the construction of the Julfa-Tabriz Railway was beneficial not only for Russia, which invested substantial capital in it despite chronic budgetary constraints, but also for the Shah's government, as the terms of the concession agreement provided for regular payments to the Persian treasury once the line was commissioned.