Sheikh Ahmad (ca. 1543–1631), sometimes referred to as Ahmad Qomi or Ahmad Kuni, among other variations, was a Persian-born merchant who settled in the Siamese

Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

in the early 17th century. He became a powerful official in the Siamese court, where he was given the name and title of Chaophraya Boworn Rajnayok (). He was the ancestor of the powerful

Bunnag family The Bunnag Family or House of Bunnag (; ) is a Siamese noble family of Mon people, Mon-Persian people, Persian descent influential during the late Ayutthaya kingdom and early Rattanakosin period. The family was favored by Chakri dynasty, Chakri mo ...

Origins and early life

Ahmad was born in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

about 1543, and is sometimes said to be from the city of

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

, south of Tehran.Marcinkowski, Muhammad Ismail
"From Isfahan to Ayuthayya: Contacts Between Iran and Siam in the 17th Century"
pp. 85-87 However, this is disputed by his descendant Tej Bunnag, Thailand's

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

, who claimed his ancestor hailed from a town called Guni in the

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

Astarabad Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the northeast of the national capital Tehran, and some a ...

region south of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

.Persia-Siam connection clarified
/ref> He had a brother, Muhammad Said, who would later immigrate along with him to Siam.
/ref> They may have arrived in Siam as early as 1595Sthapitanond, Nithi, and Mertens, Brian
"Architecture of Thailand: A Guide to Tradition and Contemporary Forms"
pg. 112-5 or possibly in the early years of the 17th century. He set up a trading establishment in the Ghayee landing district, took a Thai wife, and became quite wealthy and prosperous.

Siamese official

During the reign of

Songtham Intharacha III was the King of Ayutthaya from 1610/11 to 1628 of the House of Sukhothai. His reign marked the prosperity of the Ayutthaya kingdom after it regained independence from Toungoo Dynasty, and saw the commencement of trade with foreign ...

, Ahmad was appointed to high positions in the royal administration. He was appointed Chao

Kromma Tha Chatusadom or Catustambha ( , literally "Four Pillars" from Sanskrit ''Catur'' "Four" + ''Stambha'' "Pillars") was the Thai system of central executive governance during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Thonburi Kingdom and Rattanakosin Kingdom from 1454 ...

Khwa ("Lord of the Right Pier"), which gave him authority over trade and resolving disputes involving foreigners other than the Chinese, and was made the first ''Chula Rajmontri'' (

Shaykh al-Islām Shaykh al-Islām (; ; , ''Sheykh-ol-Eslām''; , Sheikh''-ul-Islām''; , ) was used in the classical era as an honorific title for outstanding scholars of the Islamic sciences.Gerhard Böwering, Patricia Crone, Mahan Mirza, The Princeton Encyclope ...

) of Siam's

Muslim population Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest and fastest growing major religious grouping, maintaining suggested 2017 projections in 2022. As of 2020, Pew Research Center (PEW) projections suggest there are a total of 1.9 billion a ...

. Later in the reign of Songtham, Ahmad was appointed

Samuhanayok Chatusadom or Catustambha ( , literally "Four Pillars" from Sanskrit ''Catur'' "Four" + ''Stambha'' "Pillars") was the Thai system of central executive governance during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Thonburi Kingdom and Rattanakosin Kingdom from 1454 ...

(one of the king's two chief chancellors), with the rank of

Chao Phraya The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

; his son Chun and grandson Sombun would later be appointed to the same position.Christoph Marcinkowski,
Persians and Shi’ites in Thailand: From the Ayutthaya Period to the Present, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre Working Paper No 15 (Feb 2014)
pp. 7-8 Shaykh Ahmad crushed and defeated Japanese merchants who attempted a coup against the Thai king in 1611.

Descendants

Some of Ahmad's Muslim descendants continued to hold the position of Chula Rajmontri until as late as 1945, but the bulk of his descendants converted to Buddhism.Christoph Marcinkowski
Persians and Shi’ites in Thailand: From the Ayutthaya Period to the Present, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre Working Paper No 15 (Feb 2014)
pp. 4-5 One of Ahmad's descendants, Bunnag, married a sister of Queen

Amarindra Amarindra (, , ; 15 March 1737 – 25 May 1826) was the queen consort of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri dynasty. Her birth name was Nak (นาค). She was a daughter of a wealthy Mon from Bang Chang, in Samut ...

, the consort of King

Rama I Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He asc ...

of the Rattanakosin era. His descendants, who took Bunnag as a surname, held powerful positions within the Thai government and cultural establishment from the 19th century to modern times. Among these descendants were Tish Bunnag (

Prayurawongse ''Somdet Chao Phraya'' Borom Maha Prayurawongse (; ; 1788 - 26 April 1855) or Dit Bunnag (; ) was a prominent political figure of Siam during the mid-19th century as a regent for King Mongkut kingdom-wide. He became a '' Somdet Chao Phraya'' &m ...

), regent for King

Mongkut Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868. The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization ini ...

, Chuang Bunnag ( Somdet Chaophraya Sri Suriwongse), regent for King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

, Kham Bunnag (

Chaophraya Thiphakorawong Chaophraya Thiphakorawong (born Kham Bunnag (; ); 1 October 1813–1870) was a Thai aristocrat, government official, and scholar. Family Kham Bunnag was born in 1813 into the powerful Bunnag family, a powerful Thai noble family of Persian p ...

), Minister of State and Minister of the Treasury for King Mongkut,"Historical Dictionary of Thailand"
pg. 54 and

Marut Bunnag Marut Bunnag (; 21 August 1924 – 23 September 2022) was a Thai politician. A member of the Democrat Party, he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1992 to 1995. Early life and education Marut was born on 21 August 1924 as t ...

, Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1992 to 1995.

Cultural legacy

Ahmad is sometimes credited with introducing the popular

Massaman curry Massaman curry (, , ) is a rich, flavourful, and mildly spicy Thai curry. It is a Fusion cuisine, fusion dish, combining ingredients from three sources: Persia, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Malay Archipelago (e.g., cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ...

dish to Thailand. This dish, along with others inspired by Persian dishes, is among the recipes in the funeral cookbooks of the Bunnag family.Nualkhair, Chawadee
"In Thailand, Funeral Cookbooks Preserve Recipes and Memories"
/ref> Ahmad founded the Takiaayokin Mosque (granted its current name by Mongkut) in Ayutthaya in the 1620s. The Iranian embassy in Bangkok houses the Shaykh Ahmad Qumi Library, and in 2005 organized a ''Conference on Shaykh Ahmad Ghomi''.Christoph Marcinkowski,
Persians and Shi’ites in Thailand: From the Ayutthaya Period to the Present, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre Working Paper No 15 (Feb 2014)
pp. 15-16

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad, Sheikh Bunnag family 1631 deaths Thai Muslims Iranian emigrants Immigrants to Thailand Chaophraya Nobility of the Ayutthaya Kingdom Year of birth uncertain Merchants Samuhanayok