Akaki Khoshtaria
Akaki Khoshtaria | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1873 Near Abasha, Russian Empire |
| Died | 1932 Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, financier, benefactor |
| Known for | Oil sector entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan and northern Iran; support for Georgian independence; founder of Russo-Persian Oil Producing and Trading Company |
Akaki Khoshtaria (1873 – 1932) was a prominent Georgian businessman, social figure, and benefactor whose main commercial activities were centered on the oil sector in Azerbaijan and northern Iran.
Biography
Originating from minor Georgian nobility near Abasha within the Russian Empire, Khoshtaria pursued agronomy studies in St. Petersburg. He accumulated considerable wealth as an entrepreneur and financier throughout the South Caucasus region, holding properties in Tbilisi and contributing to cultural organizations as well as funding scholarships for Georgian students overseas. His principal business enterprises included oil extraction operations in Azerbaijan and northern Iran. Amidst the 1917 Russian Revolution, he backed Georgian independence activists and supported the Democratic Republic of Georgia by facilitating the acquisition of a naval ship. Following the Bolshevik takeover in 1921, he relocated to Paris, where he passed away in 1932 and was laid to rest at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
His spouse, Minadora Turkia (1881–1924), rests at the Doulab Russian Orthodox Cemetery in Tehran beneath a mausoleum designed with inspiration from medieval Georgian ecclesiastical architecture—representing the sole Georgian Christian memorial in Iran. Their daughter, Minadora (1918–1985), married Mikhail Bagration-Mukhransky, thereby connecting Khoshtaria’s lineage to notable Georgian émigré aristocracy.
Khoshtaria concessions in Iran
In 1916, Khoshtaria obtained a 25-year oil drilling concession from the Iranian authorities for northern Iran, a deal made possible by the Russian military presence during World War I. To exploit this opportunity, he founded the Russo-Persian Oil Producing and Trading Company (Rupento). Nevertheless, the outbreak of World War I and subsequent Russian Revolution hindered development efforts, prompting him to transfer his rights to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) for £200,000 in 1920. This transaction was disputed by the Iranian government, resulting in prolonged international conflicts concerning northern Iranian oil resources throughout the 1920s.
His former residence in Bandar-e Anzali along the Caspian Sea coast now serves as a tourist attraction housing a military-naval museum and an exhibit showcasing his personal artifacts.