Amir Ali Khan Sheibany was the founding father of National Iranian Steel Co. (NISCO) He was born in

Birjand Birjand (; ) is a city in the Central District of Birjand County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is known for its saffron, barberry, jujube, and handmade carpet exports. ...

, Iran in 1922 and died in exile on his 92nd birthday in 2014, and was buried in Iran.

Early life

Born 2 weeks before

Nowruz Nowruz (, , () , () , () , () , Kurdish language, Kurdish: () , () , () , () , , , , () , , ) is the Iranian or Persian New Year. Historically, it has been observed by Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many ...

(the Persian New Year, usually the start of the spring solstice) of 1922 in

Khorasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West and Central Asia that encompasses western and no ...

to Hamideh Ghaffari and Amir Masoum Khan Sheibany, he was the 5th of 8 siblings. His father was the last trustee of the Mir Hassan Khan Trust, set up in the mid-eighteenth century. Amir Ali Sheibany was related to the mother of Prime Minister

Asadollah Alam Asadollah Alam (; 24 July 1919 – 14 April 1978) was an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who was Prime Minister of Iran, prime minister under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza Shah from 1962 to 1964. He was also minister of Royal Court, p ...

, and a direct descendant of Mir Mamad Khan, a storied commander of

Nader Shah Afshar Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Afsharid Iran, Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in History of Iran, Iranian history, ruling as List of monarchs of Per ...

and governor of Khorasan. The title "Amir" (also transliterated "emir") is Arabic for ruler or governor. Amir Ali Khan Sheibany, was the 7th generation of Amir's based out of Khorasan.

Education

Sheibany obtained a master's degree in mining engineering from

Tehran University The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

in 1945, a master's degree in civil engineering from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

in 1957, and a Terminating Engineering Degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1958.

Professional records with the Iranian Government

As the Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Industry and Mines, which later became the Ministry of Economy, Amir Ali Khan Sheibany was instrumental in the rapid expansion of Iran's Industrial base, and was signatory to the building of 12,000 industrial units. He was also responsible for building eight cities for the steel industry workers, one of which, Aryashahr, was designed for up to 300 thousand residents. Built 25 km west of

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

, Aryashahr's master plan won in 1975 the award for the Best Designed Master Plan for a City in a competition in Brazil. With the help of Iranian city planners Amir Ali Sheibany presented to HIM the Shahanshah the master plan behind th
Khorshid AryaMehr industrial zone of Isfahan
(which houses a military industrial complex). Prime Minister

Amir-Abbas Hoveyda Amir-Abbas Hoveyda (; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the longest serving prime minister in Iran's history. He also ...

, once introduced Amir Ali Khan Sheibany to the US Ambassador to Tehran, as his “. . . roughest, toughest, shrewdest fighter. But I like him". The construction of the steel works was the end of a very long road of objections and obstacles by other industrialized countries, specifically Britain and the United States. Iran had to ultimately rely on Russian help for its completion. One Stanford-based researcher identified that declassified CIA reports had stated in 1966: "The shah often acted against US advice. … Iran’s decision to purchase a steel mill from Soviet Union… is one sign of this newfound independence. Iran’s active role in OPEC, and the Shah’s willingness to stand up to the west is another".

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...

Point 4, Public Health division

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

1955–1956

Associate Professor at Technical Faculty of

. Consultant at Ministry of Industry and Mines. Founder, and chairman of the Secretariat, of the legal structure pre-dating the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, mandated by the 1957 bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement signed between the United States and Iran as part of the "Atoms for Peace" framework, making Iran a founding member in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Assistant General Managing Director of National Iranian Steel Corporation. (1st Cabinet of Mr.

Jafar Sharif-Emami Jafar Sharif-Imami (; 17 June 1912 – 16 June 1998) was an Iranian politician who was prime minister from 1960 to 1961 and again in 1978. He was a cabinet minister, president of the Iranian Senate, president of the Pahlavi Foundation and the ...

) Undersecretary of Ministry of Industry and Mines. (Dr. Amini's Cabinet) Undersecretary of

Ministry of Economy A Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs, or Department of Commerce is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the economy or economic policy. List Examples of such mi ...

. (Mr. A. Alam's Cabinet) General Managing Director of National Iranian Steel Corporation. (Mr. A. Hoveyda's Cabinet until 1978) Adjoudan-e Keshvari (Aide-du-Champ Civil de Sa Majeste Imperial le) Shahanshah Areyamehr.

Decorations

First class medallion of Science of Ministry of Education Grand Officier du L’Ordre Polaire granted by His Majesty the

King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parl ...

The Homayoon No.1 Decoration granted by

His Imperial Majesty Imperial Majesty (''His/Her Imperial Majesty'', abbreviated as ''HIM'') is a style used by Emperors and Empresses. It distinguishes the status of an emperor/empress from that of a King/Queen, who are simply styled Majesty. Holders of this style ...

the Shahanshah of Iran

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheibany, Amir Ali Khan 1922 births 2014 deaths Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Iranian business executives People from Birjand University of Oklahoma alumni University of Tehran alumni Academic staff of the University of Tehran Iranian expatriates in the United States