Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 581 Telephone
“Shah, Mr. Shamkhani has arrived.”

"Let him in!"

Shamkhani is a newly elected academician of the Iranian Academy of Sciences, in charge of communications and telegraphy. He improved the telegraph machine, reducing transmission time by a quarter; who knows what surprises await him next.

“Shah, Your Highness, Grand Vizier…”

Shamhani bowed to the crowd, with an assistant pushing a small cart behind him. The contents of the cart were covered with a white cloth.

Naserdin smiled and nodded, then said, "Shamhani, I've heard you have some interesting items to display. Tell me about them."

Shamkhani bowed and replied, “Your Majesty, science and technology in Europe and America are developing rapidly, and our scholars at the Academy of Sciences have been closely following this development. Several years ago, we learned of a remarkable invention—the telephone—and our scholars, after understanding its principles, have successfully replicated it.”

As he spoke, Shamkhani had his assistant lift the white cloth, revealing a device made of wooden tubes, metal coils, thin iron sheets, and other components. It looked somewhat rough, yet it exuded novelty. "Your Majesty, this is a telephone," Shamkhani explained. "It can transmit sound through electricity, allowing people to converse even from great distances, as if a god were whispering in their ear."

In 1856, Antonio Muzzi, an Italian-American scientist, successfully transmitted sound using a wire and made conversations with a telephone-shaped device. He is considered the inventor of the first telephone. However, for more than a decade afterward, there was no further progress in telephone technology.

During a telegraph experiment, Shamkhani suddenly discovered that a piece of iron vibrating in front of a magnet produced a faint sound, which could be transmitted over long distances through a wire. This greatly inspired him. He wondered if speaking into an iron object would also cause it to vibrate. This led to his research into the telephone.

"How does it work?" Shah's voice broke the silence.

Shamkhani immediately stepped forward and gestured to his assistant to push the two devices in front of the Shah and the Grand Vizier respectively. He then led the Grand Vizier to the next room. The metal coils gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and the edges of the thin iron sheets still bore the marks of being filed. "Shah, please look," he said. "When you speak into this end, the sound will vibrate the iron sheet, causing the coils to cut through the magnetic field and generate an electric current. The current travels through wires to the other end, and then, through the same principle, the vibrations are converted back into sound."

Naser al-Din Shah brought his ear close to the copper mouthpiece on the wooden tube, while the Grand Vizier, following instructions, spoke into another device: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you from the palace in Baghdad."

Naserdin looked delighted, "This is incredible. With this, we can get more information much faster."

“Theoretically, it’s entirely feasible, Your Majesty.” Shamkhani raised his head, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “By simply increasing the number of coil turns and strengthening the current, the wires can connect to any corner of Persia. Imagine being in your palace in Tehran, listening to the governor of Isfahan’s reports; the movements of the army on the border will reach your desk within half a day. Faster than a telegram.”

Grand Vizier returned from the next room, his face still showing disbelief: "Your Majesty, when I was speaking next door just now, it felt as if I were right next to you. But how stable is this device? Will the power be interrupted if there is a sandstorm or heavy rain?"

Shamkhani bowed and replied, “Your Excellency Grand Vizier, we have already conducted simulation tests in the laboratory. The metal coil is wrapped in linen soaked in paraffin wax, which can effectively prevent moisture; the telegraph poles are made of poplar wood that has been treated with anti-corrosion, which is sufficient to resist wind and sand erosion. As for the problem of power interruption, we plan to set up a relay station every fifty miles and arrange for dedicated personnel to be on duty to ensure signal stability.”

Nasser al-Din nodded. Meanwhile, the power system was under initial construction. The generators imported from Siemens, after modifications, could meet current power generation needs—basically, the palace lights and some market lighting. The generators were powered by coal, but now the Shah had ordered them to build oil-fired generators, and it was said that the Academy of Sciences was already engaged in frantic brainstorming.

The region has no shortage of coal, but even more abundant oil resources, which can be used as raw materials for thermal power generation. Moreover, the Caucasus region has abundant water resources, and it is possible to explore the construction of large-scale hydropower stations in some river basins with rapid currents and large water level differences, so as to make reasonable use of local water resources.

Naserdin places great importance on these aspects and spares no expense in acquiring patents in these areas. His aim is to achieve a breakthrough by taking a shortcut.

"We can start by setting up telephone lines in various government departments, but the communication is still a bit unclear and needs improvement."

"Yes, Shah, we are working hard to improve. We expect to make further progress within three years."

Iran possesses the fruits of the Second Industrial Revolution: electricity, telephone, internal combustion engine, and oil. The next step is to promote and utilize them efficiently, which is also the government's task.

Naser al-Din looked at Shamkhani: "It would be a waste if this device were only used for political purposes." He got up and walked to the window, looking at the sprawling market outside the palace. "It takes Persian caravans twenty days to travel from Tehran to Shiraz. If they could communicate with their shops along the way, how much faster would business be?"

Shamhani's eyes lit up: "The Shah is right! We can start by piloting this in commercial ports like Tabriz and Isfahan, connecting the major markets with thick copper wires. It's just that the shop owners might not be willing to bear the installation costs..."

“Not only that,” the Grand Vizier stepped forward and whispered, “Shah, we must be careful. If the British learn that we possess this technology, they will likely resort to any means to acquire it. Moreover, if this device falls into the hands of a local governor, it could also pose a threat to the government.”

Shamkhani immediately retorted: "Your Excellency, it is precisely because of the threats from Britain and Russia that we need to develop this technology even more. Last year, when the Russians were laying telegraph lines along the Caspian coast, they refused to let our engineers participate. Now that we have telephones, we can establish an independent communication network and no longer be subject to foreign powers. As for the local areas, as long as the core technology is in the hands of the Academy of Sciences and dedicated personnel are sent to maintain the equipment regularly, we can ensure communication security."

To stop the argument, Naser al-Din immediately said, "We can try Baghdad to Basra first. Everything can be done slowly. There's an old saying in the East: haste makes waste. I can wait."

"Yes"

Ah, that's wonderful. Iran has once again taken the lead over Europe in the field of technology. I bet those Europeans never imagined that one day they would be buying patents from him.

This is good. Always having Europe in the lead will make them lose their drive. Let them see that there's another country with technology they don't have. That will spur them to work harder; there's no one better. To keep Europe constantly ambitious, he really... I'm devastated.

(End of this chapter)