1871 |
Birth of Hadj Nematollah, Ostad Elahi’s father, in the village of Jeyhunabad in Western Iran |
1894 |
Marriage of Ostad Elahi’s parents |
1895 |
Birth of Ostad Elahi on September 11 in Jeyhunabad |
1900 |
Inception of Hadj Nematollah’s mystical lifestyle following a spiritual transformation |
1901 |
Introduction to the tanbur, an ancient lute devoted to sacred music |

1905 |
Beginning of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats at the age of nine |
1905 |
Mastery of the tanbur |
1906 |
Spiritual transformation at the age of 11 |
1906 |
Birth of Malak Jan, Ostad Elahi’s sister, who would later continue his teachings |
1916 |
Completion of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats |

1917 |
Marriage of Ostad Elahi |
1920 |
Passing of Hadj Nematollah |
1922 |
First trip to Tehran, where he remains for one year |
1929 |
Second trip to Tehran for a yearlong sojourn |
1930 |
Beginning of government employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Kermanshah |

1932 |
Employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish |
1932 |
Enrollment in the National School of Jurisprudence; ongoing employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish |
1934 |
First assignment as Justice of the Peace in Larestan |
1937 |
Appointment as Surrogate Judge and Examining Magistrate in Shiraz |
1939 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Khorramabad |

1941 |
Appointment as Chief Judge of the Misdemeanor Court and Member of the Land Restitution Commission in the province of Kermanshah |
1944 |
Appointment as Chief Judge of the District Court in Kerman and its Commercial Part with jurisdiction over price-fixing claims |
1944 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah |
1945 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Qom |
1947 |
Leave of absence |

1948 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah |
1949 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Azerbaijan |
1949 |
Appointment as Director of the Ministry of Justice and as Chief Judge of the Commercial Court in Jahrom |
1952 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Tehran |
1955 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor and then Chief Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeals for the province of Mazandaran |

1957 |
Early retirement at the age of 62 after 27 years of government service; settles in Tehran |
1963 |
Publication of “Borhan ol-Haqq” (Demonstration of the Truth) |
1967 |
Publication of “Hashieh bar Haqq ol-Haqayeq” (Commentary on The Book of the Kings of Truth) |
1969 |
Publication of “Marefat ol-Ruh” (Knowing the Spirit) |
1974 |
Passes away at the age of 79 in Tehran |

1978 |
Publication of the first volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth), a collection of his oral teachings |
1982 |
Destruction of his tomb in Hashtgerd |
1984 |
Reconstruction of his memorial in Hashtgerd |
1985 |
Creation of the Nour Foundation in the United States, a public charitable and nongovernmental organization inspired by the life and work of Ostad Elahi |
1992 |
Publication of the second volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth) |

1993 |
Passing of Malak Jan, also known by the honorific Sheykh Jani |
1995 |
Commemoration of the centenary of Ostad Elahi’s birth |
2000 |
Creation of The Ostad Elahi Foundation: Ethics and Human Solidarity in Paris, France |
2014 |
Opening of The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi, a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York |
2018 |
Inauguration of prized tanbur in permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with short video on his life and music |
2019 |
Display of four additional instruments in the musical galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art |
1871 |
Birth of Hadj Nematollah, Ostad Elahi’s father, in the village of Jeyhunabad in Western Iran |
1894 |
Marriage of Ostad Elahi’s parents |
1895 |
Birth of Ostad Elahi on September 11 in Jeyhunabad |
1900 |
Inception of Hadj Nematollah’s mystical lifestyle following a spiritual transformation |
1901 |
Introduction to the tanbur, an ancient lute devoted to sacred music |
1905 |
Beginning of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats at the age of nine |
1905 |
Mastery of the tanbur |
1906 |
Spiritual transformation at the age of 11 |
1906 |
Birth of Malak Jan, Ostad Elahi’s sister, who would later continue his teachings |
1916 |
Completion of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats |
1917 |
Marriage of Ostad Elahi |
1920 |
Passing of Hadj Nematollah |
1922 |
First trip to Tehran, where he remains for one year |

1929 |
Second trip to Tehran for a yearlong sojourn |
1930 |
Beginning of government employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Kermanshah |
1932 |
Employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish |
1932 |
Enrollment in the National School of Jurisprudence; ongoing employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish |

1934 |
First assignment as Justice of the Peace in Larestan |
1937 |
Appointment as Surrogate Judge and Examining Magistrate in Shiraz |
1939 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Khorramabad |
1941 |
Appointment as Chief Judge of the Misdemeanor Court and Member of the Land Restitution Commission in the province of Kermanshah |

1944 |
Appointment as Chief Judge of the District Court in Kerman and its Commercial Part with jurisdiction over price-fixing claims |
1944 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah |
1945 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Qom |
1947 |
Leave of absence |
1948 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah |
1949 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Azerbaijan |
1949 |
Appointment as Director of the Ministry of Justice and as Chief Judge of the Commercial Court in Jahrom |

1952 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Tehran |
1955 |
Appointment as Public Prosecutor and then Chief Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeals for the province of Mazandaran |

1957 |
Early retirement at the age of 62 after 27 years of government service; settles in Tehran |

1963 |
Publication of “Borhan ol-Haqq” (Demonstration of the Truth) |

1967 |
Publication of “Hashieh bar Haqq ol-Haqayeq” (Commentary on The Book of the Kings of Truth) |
1969 |
Publication of “Marefat ol-Ruh” (Knowing the Spirit) |

1974 |
Passes away at the age of 79 in Tehran |
1978 |
Publication of the first volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth), a collection of his oral teachings |
1982 |
Destruction of his tomb in Hashtgerd |
1984 |
Reconstruction of his memorial in Hashtgerd |
1985 |
Creation of the Nour Foundation in the United States, a public charitable and nongovernmental organization inspired by the life and work of Ostad Elahi |
1992 |
Publication of the second volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth) |
1993 |
Passing of Malak Jan, also known by the honorific Sheykh Jani |
1995 |
Commemoration of the centenary of Ostad Elahi’s birth |
2000 |
Creation of The Ostad Elahi Foundation: Ethics and Human Solidarity in Paris, France |
2014 |
Opening of The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi, a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York |
2018 |
Inauguration of prized tanbur in permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with short video on his life and music |
2019 |
Display of four additional instruments in the musical galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Note: In Iran’s nascent judicial system modeled after the French inquisitorial or nonadversarial system, the court was actively involved in investigating and examining the facts of a criminal case. As such, judges essentially played a dual role by serving as either standing or seated judges: standing judges would act as public prosecutors by examining and presenting the government’s case to the seated judge(s) presiding over the matter. A natural progression in the judiciary therefore entailed beginning in the lower courts as a standing judge and eventually becoming a seated judge in the district and appellate courts. As reflected in this chronology and for reasons more fully explained under the Judiciary section of this site, Ostad Elahi’s career did not always follow this natural progression.