Chronology: Date 1847

date	event	tags	firsts
1847 22 Feb	Birth of Thornton Chase, designated the first American Bahá'í, in Springfield, Massachusetts.	Thornton Chase; Births and deaths; Springfield, MA; Massachusetts, USA; USA	First American Bahá'í
1847 4 Mar	The passing of Manúchihr Khán. His death had been predicted by the Báb 87 days earlier. The governor had made the Báb the beneficiary of his vast holdings, estimated to be 40 million francs, but his nephew Gurgín Khán appropriated everything after his death. [Bab116; DB212Note1, 213–214] Before the death of Manúchihr Khán the Báb instructed His followers to disperse throughout Káshán, Qum and Tihrán. [B115; DB213–14] Gurgín Khán, in his role as the new governor, informed the Sháh that the Báb wss in Isfahán and had been sheltered by Manúchihr Khán. The Sháh ordered that the Báb be taken to Tihrán incognito. The Báb, escorted by Nusayrí horsemen, set out for Tihrán soon after midnight. [Bab116, 118; DB215–116; TN11]	Manuchihr Khan; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; Báb, Life of (chronology); Gurgin Khan; Nusayri horsemen; Horses; Tehran, Iran; Isfahan, Iran; Iran
1847 21 Mar	En route to Tihrán Hájí Mírzá Áqásí instructed the Báb to break His journey by stopping in the village of Káshán some 50km (31 miles) from the capital. He spent three nights in the home of Hájí Mírzá Jání, a noted resident of that city who had realized in a dream that the Báb would be his guest. After some time the Báb wrote to the Sháh requesting a meeting. Hájí Mírzá Áqási, determined that the meeting not take place, instilled fear in the sovereign and persuaded him that the best plan would be to send him to Máh-Kú. [Bab118; DB8, 217–22] In Kashan at this time and a friend of Hájí Mírzá Jání, was Ahmad-i-Yazdi, the recipient of the famous Tablet from Bahá'u'lláh in 1865. He had the opportunity to spend a few hours with the Báb. [C3mTp13] The Faith grew rapidly after the visit of the Báb and with it the persecution from the local authorities and from the clergy. Homes and businesses were looted and a number of followers were killed. To avoid detection Ahmad hid in a wind ventilator (a "badgir") for 40 days and nights. He was secretly fed by friends. [C3mTp13]	Báb, Life of (chronology); Hájí Mírzá Jani; Dreams and visions; Tehran, Iran; Kashan, Iran; Iran
1847 28 Mar	The Báb and His escort arrived at the fortress of Kinár-Gird, 28 miles from Tihrán. Muhammad Big, the head of the escort, received a message from Hájí Mírzá Áqásí, the prime minister, telling him to take the Báb to Kulayn to await further instructions. Bab119; DB225–6; GPB16]	Báb, Life of (chronology); Fortress Kinar-Gird; Fortresses, castles and palaces; Muhammad Big; Hájí Mírzá Aqasi; Tehran, Iran; Kulayn; Iran
1847 29 Mar	The Báb arrived in Kulayn where He stayed for 20 days. [Bab120; DB227; TN11]	Báb, Life of (chronology); Kulayn; Iran
1847 Spring - Summer	Táhirih's activities in Iraq so alarm some Bábís of Kázimayn that they agitated against her. Siyyid `Alí Bishr wrote to the Báb in Máh-Kú on their behalf. The Báb replied praising Táhirih, causing the Kázimayn Bábís to withdraw from the Faith. [Bab163] Among those Táhirih met in Baghdád was Hakím Masíh, a Jewish doctor who years later becomes the first Bahá'í of Jewish background. [Bab165] Táhirih was sent back to Persia by Najíb Páshá. She was accompanied by a number of Bábís; they made a number of stops along the way, enrolling supporters for the Cause of the Báb. [Bab163–4; BBRSM216] Ma'ani says Táhirih left Baghdád early in 1847. In Kirand 1,200 people are reported to have volunteered to follow her. [Bab164 DB272; TN20] B164 says the number is 12,000; DB272 says it was 1,200. In Kirmánsháh she was respectfully received by the `ulamá. [Bab164; DB272] Táhirih arrived in Hamadán. Her father had sent her brothers here to persuade her to return to her native city of Qazvín. She agreed on condition that she may remain in Hamadán long enough to tell people about the Báb. [Bab165; DB273] MF180 says Táhirih remained in Hamadán for two months.	Tahirih; Báb, Life of (chronology); Hakim Masih; Kazimayn, Baghdad, Iraq; Baghdad, Iraq; Iraq; Mah-Ku, Iran; Iran; Hamadán, Iran; Kirmánsháh, Iran	First Bahá'í of Jewish background
1847 Apr	The Báb received a courteous message from the Sháh, who, on the advice of his prime minister, Hájí Mírzá Áqásí, assigned Him to the fortress of Máh-Kú in the province of Ádharbáyján. The Báb was taken to Máh-Kú via Tabríz. [Bab121–2, 124; DB229–32; GPB16; TN11–12]	Báb, Life of (chronology); - Sháh; Hájí Mírzá Aqasi; Fortress of Mah-Ku; Báb, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Mah-Ku, Iran; Azerbaijan; Tabríz, Iran; Iran
1847 1 Apr	The Báb received a letter and gifts from Bahá'u'lláh in Tihrán delivered to His Hands by Mulla Muhammad-Mihdiy-i-Kandi. The letter cheered His heart, He had been despondent since His arrest and departure from Shíráz. [Bab120; DB227; GPB678]	Báb, Life of (chronology); Gifts; * Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; Tehran, Iran; Shíráz, Iran; Iran
1847 c. 1 – 17 Apr	One night the Báb disappeared and was found the next morning on the road coming from the direction of Tihrán. A look of confidence had settled on Him and His words have a new power. [B120–1; DB228–9] Had He and Bahá'u'lláh met secretly? See SLH51 para96. Also see Indications in the Writings and Historical Records Relative to the Question Whether Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb Met from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. Also published in 'Andalib Magazine, vol. V, no. 17, pp. 20-21. See DB461 where it is recorded that Bahá'u'lláh told the leading mullá in Amul that He had never met the Báb face-to-face. 'Abdu'l-Bahá stated that They did not meet. [Bahá'í Org website]	Báb, Life of (chronology); Tehran, Iran; Iran; Amul, Iran; Iran
1847 c. 17 Apr	The Báb sent a letter to the Sháh requesting an audience. [B121; DB229; TN11] Some accounts maintain that the prime minister intervened in the correspondence between the Báb and the Sháh. En route to Tabríz the Báb wrote to various people, including the Grand Vizier, the father and uncle of Táhirih, and Hájí Sulaymán Khán. Hujjat learned of this last letter and sent a message to the Bábís of Zanján to rescue the Báb. The Báb declined their assistance. [Bab124–5; DB235–6] See B126 for an account of the Báb's demonstration to His guards that He could have escaped had He so wished.	Báb, Life of (chronology); * Báb, Writings of; - Sháh; - Prime Ministers of Iran; - Prime Ministers; - Grand Viziers; Tahirih; Hájí Sulayman Khan; Hujjat; Tabríz, Iran; Zanjan, Iran; Iran
1847 c. May	Birth of Fátimih (Munírih) Khánum, wife of `Abdu'l-Bahá, in Isfahán. Daughter of Mírzá Muhammad-'Alí. [DB208] See MKML2-14 and DB208-209 for the story of her family and her conception. See MH96 for information on Munírih, future wife of `Abdu'l-Bahá. See CH84 for her account of a dream she had as a young child. She was first cousin to the King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs. [CH86] See MKML22-24 for the story of her first marriage to the younger brother of the King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs. See MKML26-44 for the story of her trip from Iran to Mecca and then to the Holy Land in the company of Shaykh Salman.	Munirih Khanum; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Family of; Births and deaths; Shaykh Salman; Isfahan, Iran; Iran
1847 c. May - Jun	The Báb arrived in Tabríz en route to Máh-Kú and was handed over to the officials of Nasir al-Din Mirza, to be imprisoned for forty days in the citadel of Tabriz, called the Ark. [BBR76; Connections by Vincent Flannery] He was well received by the general populace. He spent His time in seclusion, being allowed only two visitors. [Bab127–8; DB237–40; GPB18; TN12] "A tumultuous concourse of people had gathered to witness His entry into the city … desirous of ascertaining the veracity of the wild reports that were current about Him … the acclamations of the multitude resounded on every side… Such was the clamour that a crier was ordered to warn the population of the danger that awaited those who ventured to seek His presence?" [DB237]	Báb, Life of (chronology); Mah-Ku, Iran; Nasir al-Din Mírzá; Tabríz, Iran; Iran
1847 Jul	The Báb in Máh-Kú The Báb arrived at the prison fortress of Máh-Kú (the Open Mountain). [Bab128; BW18:380] See Bab128, BBD142 and DB243–4 for descriptions of Máh-Kú, its environs, fortress and inhabitants. See Light of Faith: A collection of stories by Paris Sadeghzadeh and Behnam Golmohammadi p51-53.	Báb, Life of (chronology); Mah-Ku, Iran; Fortresses, castles and palaces; Báb, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Mah-Ku, Iran; Iran
1847 Jul to 1848 Apr	The people of Máh-Kú show markeded hostility to the Báb on His arrival. Later they were won over by His gentle manners and His love. They congregated at the foot of the mountain hoping to catch a glimpse of Him. [Bab129; DB244–5] At the beginning of the Báb's incarceration the warden `Alí Khán kept the Báb strictly confined and allowed no visitors. He had a vision of the Báb engaged in prayer outside of the prison gates, knowing that the Báb is inside. He became humble and permitted the Bábís to visit the Báb. [Bab129–31; DB245–8] The winter the Báb spent in Máh-Kú was exceptionally cold. [DB252] Many of the Báb's writings were revealed in this period. [GPB24–5] It was probably at this time that He addressed all the divines in Persia and Najaf and Karbalá, detailing the errors committed by each one of them. [GPB24] He revealed nine commentaries on the whole of the Qur'an, the fate of which is unknown. [DB31; GPB24] He revealed the "Mother Book" of the Bábí Revelation, the Persian Bayán, containing the laws and precepts of the new Revelation in some 8,000 verses. It is primarily a eulogy of the Promised One. [BBD44–5; BBRSM32; BW12:91 GPB24–5; ESW165; SWB102, 159] It is possible that the latter part of the Persian Bayán was revealed while He was confined in Chihríq. The Báb began the composition of the `smaller and less weighty' Arabic Bayán. [Bab132; BBD45; GPB25] He stated in the Bayán that, to date, He had revealed some 500,000 verses, 100,000 of which had been circulated. [BBRSM32, GPB22] In the Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih (Seven Proofs) the Báb assigned blame to the seven powerful sovereigns then ruling the world and censured the conduct of the Christian divines who, had they recognized Muhammad, would have been followed by the greater part of their co-religionists. [BBD63; BW12:96; GPB26] The Báb wrote His `most detailed and illuminating' Tablet to Muhammad Sháh. [GPB26]	Báb, Life of (chronology); `Alí Khán; Bayan-i-Farsi (Persian Bayan); Bayan-i-Arabi (Arabic Bayan); Bayan; Dalail-i-Sabih (Seven Proofs); * Báb, Writings of; Tablet to Muhammad Shah; Muhammad Sháh; Báb, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Mah-Ku, Iran; Iran; Najaf, Iran; Karbala, Iraq; Iraq
1847 Aug	Táhirih sent Mullá Ibráhím Mahallátí to present to the chief mujtahid of Hamadán her dissertation in defence of the Bábí Cause. Mahallátí was attacked and severely beaten.	Tahirih; Mulla Ibrahim Mahallati; Bábí; Hamadán, Iran; Iran
1847 c. Aug - Sep	On her departure from Hamadán Táhirih asked most of the Arab Bábís travelling with her to return to Iraq. [B165; DB273] Upon arriving in Qazvín, Táhirih refused her estranged husband's attempts at reconciliation and lived with her father. Her father-in-law Hájí Mullá Taqí, felt insulted and denounced the Shaykhís and Bábís. [B166; DB2736]	Tahirih; Hájí Mulla Taqi; Hamadán, Iran; Qazvin, Iran; Iran
1847 c. Aug	Mullá Husayn was residing in Mashhad, in Khurásán, where he had been since returning from Shíráz in 1845. The leader of a local rebellion wished to enlist the Bábís on his side and sought a meeting with Mullá Husayn. To avoid entanglement in the affair, Mullá Husayn decided to make a pilgrimage to Máh-Kú. [TB56; DB254–5; MH133–5] As an act of piety, he made the whole 1,200-mile journey on foot. Along the route he visited the Bábís and in Tihrán met secretly with Bahá'u'lláh. No account of their interview survives. In Qazvín, Mullá Husayn met Táhirih for the first time. [DB255; MH137]	Mulla Husayn; Tahirih; Bahá'u'lláh, Life of (chronology); Khurásan, Iran; Mah-Ku, Iran; Qazvin, Iran; Tehran, Iran	First meeting of Mullá Husayn and Táhirih
1847 Sep or Oct	The murder of Hájí Mullá Muhammad Taqí, the powerful uncle of Táhirih, by Mullá `Abdu'lláh of Shíráz. [B166; BBRSM216; DB276–8] BBRSM22 says the murder took place towards the end of October. Mullá `Abdu'lláh indicated that he was `never a convinced Bábí'. [DB276]	Assassinations; Mullá `Abdu'lláh; Hájí Mulla Muhammad Taqi; Tahirih; Persecution, Iran; - Persecution; Iran
1847 Oct - Nov	Táhirih was accused of instigating the assassination of her uncle, Muhammad Taqí Baraghání, and was confined to her father's house while about 30 Bábís were arrested. Four, including the assassin, were taken to Tihrán and held in the house of Khusraw Khán. [BKG41; BW18:380; DB276–8]	Assassinations; Mullá `Abdu'lláh; Hájí Mulla Muhammad Taqi; Tahirih; Khusraw Khan; Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Tehran, Iran; Iran
1847 Nov - Dec	Bahá'u'lláh, who was living in Tihrán, visited the detainees from Qazvin and gave them money. [BKG41; DB278–9; GPB68] Mullá `Abdu'lláh confessed to the murder of Hájí Mullá Muhammad Taqí and was helped to escape. [BKG41–2; DB278] See BKG42 for why Bahá'u'lláh was thought to have engineered his escape. Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned for a few days for having assisted in Mullá `Abdu'lláh's escape. This was Bahá'u'lláh's first imprisonment. [BKG41; BW18:380; DB585] Shaykh Salib-i-Karímí, one of the imprisoned Bábís, was publicly executed in Tihrán. He was the first to suffer martyrdom on Persian soil. His remains were interred in the courtyard of the shrine of the Imám-Zádih Zayd in Tihrán. [B166; BW18:380; DB280] The remaining captives were returned to Qazvín. Hájí Asadu'lláh-i-Farhádí was secretly put to death in prison. Mullá Táhir-i-Shírází and Mullá Ibrahím-i-Maballátí were also put to death. [B166; BW18:380; DB280–3] DB280–3 says `the rest of' the detainees were put to death by the relatives of Hájí Mullá Muhammad Taqí.	Bahá'u'lláh, Life of (chronology); Assassinations; Mullá `Abdu'lláh; Tahirih; Hájí Mulla Muhammad Taqi; Cemeteries and graves; Firsts, other; Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Tehran, Iran; Qazvin, Iran; Iran	First imprisonment of Bahá'u'lláh; first martyr on Persian soil
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