Abbas Foroughi Bastami (: 1798–1857) was a poet in
Qajar Iran
The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...
.
Early life
Foroughi was born in the city of
Karbala
Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...
. He was the son of Aqa Musa, who worked as an accountant at the court of
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (), the
Qajar
The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...
shah
Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
(king) of Iran. Following Aqa Musa's decline in popularity and subsequent punishment by Agha Mohammad Khan, he relocated to Karbala, where he died in 1814. Soon afterwards, Foroughi moved to
Sari
A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
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in
northern Iran
Northern Iran (), is a geographical term that refers to a relatively large and fertile area, consisting of the southern border of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains.
It includes the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan (ancie ...
, where he for some years lived with uncle Dust-Ali Khan Moayyer ol-Mamalek, who served as the chief of the royal coin mints.
Life as a poet
During his early twenties, Foroughi became acquainted with the court of
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (; 5 August 1772 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irrevocable ceding of Iran's northern territories in the Caucasus, com ...
(), most likely through the efforts of Dust-Ali Khan. Some years later, Fath-Ali Shah dispatched him to
Mashhad
Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...
to be part of the retinue of the Qajar prince
Hasan Ali Mirza, who governed
Khorasan. It was there that he started switched his
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
from "Meshkin" to "Foroughi" in appreciation for Hasan Ali Mirza's son Forough ol-Dowleh. Foroughi and the poet
Qaani also formed a close friendship that lasted their lifetime.
Death
Foroughi died in 1857 in
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
.
References
Sources
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Further reading
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19th-century Persian-language poets
19th-century Iranian poets
1798 births
1857 deaths
People from Karbala
{{Persian literature