In the early fourteenth century AH, with the flourishing of trade and the connection of the Karachi railway line to Zahedan by the British — and along the communication route between Europe and India — Birjand's commercial standing grew considerably, drawing traders and craftsmen to the city. Birjand subsequently became, on one hand, a distribution center for Indian and European goods in the region, and on the other, an outlet for the agricultural products of Qa'enat and Khorasan. As a result of this economic transformation and the expansion of mercantile activity, one of the most important branches of the Imperial Bank of Iran was established there. The economic development of Birjand also left its mark on the city's cultural and social conditions. In 1326 AH, the Shokatieh School was founded through the efforts of Amir Shokat al-Molk Alam, the governor of Birjand at the time — one of the oldest schools built in the modern style in Iran. During the years of the First World War, Birjand became the headquarters of the Anglo-Indian forces stationed in eastern Iran. This factor left a profound imprint on the city's subsequent development: after the First World War, Amir Shokat al-Molk Alam, at considerable expense in 1302 SH, made use of the pipes left behind by British forces for their military camp plumbing to install a water supply system in Birjand. Birjand was the first city in Iran to have its drinking water supplied through pipes.
The History of Modern Education in Birjand — The Shokatieh School was established after Dar al-Fonun (founded in 1268 AH by Mirza Taqi Khan Amir Kabir in Tehran) and after the elementary school of Mirza Hassan Roshdiyeh (founded in Birjand in 1315 AH). It might be said that the most beneficial event to follow the Constitutional Revolution in Birjand was the opening of this school. Before it, there had been only one traditional school in Birjand, the Masoumiyeh School, where nothing but Arabic grammar and a little Arabic literature was taught. Its graduates were clergymen who lived off endowment income and by establishing village maktabs. Beyond the Masoumiyeh School, there were a number of maktabs in Birjand where an elderly man or woman would teach children — by old methods — to read, and boys alone to write. Beyond Birjand, the city of Qa'en had the Ja'fariyeh School, Zahan had the Atiqeh School, and in Khosf and Darmiyan there were schools of the same instructional method, where students were generally responsible for teaching children literacy. In an article titled "A Report on the History of Culture and a Record of Birjand's Educational Centers," Dr. Mohammad Reza Rashedmohassal, quoting from Mohammad Khazaei's publication on geographical and educational issues of Birjand for the Planning Committee of Birjand's Education Department, writes: "One of the local rulers by the name of Ismail Alam, who lived in the time of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, having no children, bequeathed a third of his estate to charitable purposes and entrusted its guardianship to his brother Ibrahim Alam. Upon his death, Ibrahim became the ruler of Qa'enat. On a trip to Tehran at the beginning of his governorship, he sought to apply the aforementioned endowment to charitable works. The sight of students at Dar al-Fonun and exposure to the new principles of education and its regulations made a deep impression on him, to the point that the idea of founding a new school along similar lines took root in his mind. Around this time he became acquainted with Mo'adel al-Dowleh Kashi — father of Zeka al-Saltaneh — who had come to Birjand on a mission to prepare for collecting taxes in Qa'enat and Sistan, and consulted with him. The latter encouraged and urged him toward opening a school from the income of the aforementioned endowment. Ibrahim Alam accepted his counsel." When Shokat al-Molk II resolved to carry out this plan, the public and most of the clergy opposed it — especially the education of girls. In 1299 SH, Shokat al-Molk II founded a second Shokatieh School in Nahbandan, and in 1300 SH a third in Dasht-e Bayaz. In 1308 SH, these schools, along with several boys' and girls' high schools, were transferred to the state. The number of students in the first year was approximately forty, divided into two classes. The school began as a six-grade primary school, which later became a nine-grade institution, and eventually a twelve-grade school whose high school had both a first and second cycle, awarding certificates at each level. Mohammad Ibrahim Khan had engaged teachers from France, England, and India, as well as learned individuals from various corners of Iran — especially from Tehran and Kashan — the expenses being met from endowment income.
The Shokatieh Hosseiniyeh Building — Construction of this building was initiated in 1308 AH by Amir Mohammad Ismail Khan Alam (Shokat al-Molk I) as a hosseiniyeh, built by Yazdi craftsmen, and completed in 1312 AH. It was subsequently converted into a school by Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, father of Asadollah Alam. Shokatieh is a two-story building of approximately 3,200 square meters, situated on Montazeri Street within the historic fabric of Birjand, in the vicinity of other historic structures including Khajeh Khezr, the Baharestan Citadel, the Araasteh Hosseiniyeh, and the Hadavi House. The building has two entrance gates — one on the west and one on the south — though only the western entrance is in use. It also features an entrance portal decorated with plaster muqarnas, a hashti (vestibule), several corridors, an iwan, and numerous chambers surrounding the courtyard, a throne room (shahneshin), and a bathhouse. The courtyard is rectangular in shape, with four small chamfered corners that transform it into an octagonal space. The chambers line the courtyard and connect to the upper floor and roof by means of two staircases. The most prominent element of the building is the western iwan, spanning more than eight meters, adorned with exquisite plaster decoration. This iwan has been restored twice by Haj Mohammad Farrokhnia, a Birjand architect. On the western side of the iwan stands the throne room, topped with a dome and crowned by a handsome lantern. On either side of the throne room are two smaller rooms, connected to it by a triple-bay opening. The western face of the throne room displays decorative blind arches with plaster ornament and rasmi-bandi geometric patterning. Light enters the throne room through windows running all around the lantern. The bathhouse occupies the southwest corner of the building. The second floor has fewer architectural elements than the ground floor and is also of lesser height.
Kharpashteh (parapet), brick flooring of the roof, facade details, covering of the vestibule