Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – October 18, 1989

After the prayer, we went to the airport with Mahdi and the guards to travel to [Eastern] Azerbaijan. The companions were ready and we immediately flew to Tabriz. Representatives of the province and a number of ministers were accompanied. The reception at Tabriz airport was magnificent. I did a short interview. We left for Tabriz barracks. In the street, people on both sides of the street expressed their feelings. The morning ceremony was done and I spoke for them. I went to the governor's office. He met with academics. Dr. [Sidmehdi] Garabi, the president of Tabriz University, spoke and I gave a rather detailed speech.

I went to Tabriz Grand Mosque and participated in the gathering of clerics who were very many. Mr. [Muslim] Malkuti [representative of the religious jurist in Azerbaijan and] Imam Juma [Tabriz] welcomed me and I spoke in detail about the role of the clergy in the revolution and the administration of society.

We went to Mr. Malkuti's house. Prayer, lunch, rest and study were done until half past three. There were also many clerics. Everywhere in the city, people were warmly welcomed.

We went to the shrine of [Imam Khomeini] in Tabriz to give a speech to the public. There was a large crowd, but their expectations were more than this. Mr. Malkuti spoke and then I had a long speech. Mosli is vast, they say about six hectares.

We returned to the governorate. We had a meeting with the representatives of the province. They have statistics about the deprivation and backwardness of the province, which was surprising to me. My opinion is that in addition to the sinister legacy of the former regime, the problems of war and the weakness of management have made the situation such that the province is in such a state with so many natural resources. In the meeting of the provincial managers, I bitterly expressed the same opinion and demanded transformation.

I married a blind and amputated veteran. Mr. Malkuti gave a piece of land as a gift and I told the governor to build a house for him. After dinner, I went to my room to rest. I got the news and wrote today's diary. In today's news, the San Francisco earthquake was at the top of foreign news.