Isfahan was one of the first cities to outlaw the sales and usage of tobacco. The people of Isfahan also followed suit and resisted the foreign monopoly on the trade.
It has been written in history that after agents of the Régie Company were stationed in Isfahan, the company aimed to confiscate the tobacco of a respectable merchant who did not agree to sell his tobacco to them.
Against this, he asked to be given a day and burnt twelve thousand sacks of tobacco in Naqsh-e Jahan Square overnight.
In the morning, the British agents found nothing but ashes to confiscate.
Professor Edward Browne wrote about this incident in his book “A Year Amongst the Persians”:
“The knowledge and zeal of this patriotic merchant is indescribable. By burning his own capital, he shows that the actions of the company are against the nation’s interests, and following the decrees of religious leaders is mandatory for all Muslims.”
