Mohammad Ali Foroughi (; early August 1877 – 26 or 27 November 1942), also known as Zoka-ol-Molk (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: ذُکاءُالمُلک), was an Iranian politician, writer, freemason, Azali, and diplomat who served as the

Prime Minister of Iran The prime minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...

for three terms. He wrote numerous books on ancient Iranian history and is known for founding the Academy of Iran.

Early life and education

Foroughi was born 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. ...

to a merchant family from

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 ...

. His ancestor, Mirza Abutorab, was the representative of Isfahan in

Mugan plain Mughan plain (, مغان دوزو; ) is a plain stretching from northwestern Iran to the southern part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The highest density of irrigation canals is in the section of the Mughan plain which lies in the Republic of Aze ...

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

's coronation. His grandfather, Mohammad Mehdi Arbab Isfahani, was amongst the most influential merchants of Isfahan and was skilled in history and geography. His father Mohammad Hosein Foroughi was the translator of the Shah to Arabic and French. He was also a poet and published a newspaper called Tarbiat.

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

nicknamed Mohammad Hosein, Foroughi, after hearing a poem that he had written.Bagher Agheli, A biography of political and military figures in contemporary Iran, Elm publishing, Tehran, 2001. During his early life, Foroughi studied at the élite Dar ul-Funun (Polytechnic school) in Tehran.

Career

In 1907, Foroughi's father died and Foroughi inherited his father's title of ''Zoka-ol-Molk''. During the same year, Foroughi became the dean of Tehran School of Political Science. In 1909, he entered politics as a member of

Majlis (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...

(Parliament), representing Tehran. He subsequently became speaker of the house and later minister in several cabinets as well as prime minister three times and once as the acting prime minister when Reza Khan resigned as prime minister to take up the crown as Reza Shah. In 1912, he became the president of the Iranian Supreme Court. Later he was appointed prime minister and dismissed in 1935 due to the father of his son-in-law's, Mohammad Vali Asadi, alleged participation in the riot in Mashhad against the reforms implemented by Reza Shah. However, later Foroughi regained his status and became Prime Minister during the initial phase of

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

's reign. Foroughi as a prime minister was instrumental in having Mohammad Reza Pahlavi proclaimed as

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 ...

after his father, Reza Shah, was forced to abdicate (16 September 1941) and exiled by the allied forces of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

following the

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, also known as the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia, was the joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941. The two powers announced that they w ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the collapse of his cabinet, he was named Minister of Court and then named ambassador of Iran to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, but he died in Tehran at the age of 67 before he could assume the post.

Contribution

The most important contribution of Foroughi to philosophy is his triplet, "The Evolution of Philosophy in Europe", in which he covered the works of European Philosophers, starting from the

Seven Sages of Greece The Seven Sages or Seven Wise Men was the title given to seven philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers of the 7th–6th centuries BCE who were renowned for their wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, ...

in the 7th century BC through to

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...

, in the 20th century.

Books

Foroughi wrote numerous books, including ''The History of Iran'', ''The History of the Ancient Peoples of The East'', ''A Short History of Ancient Rome'', ''Constitutional Etiquette'', ''A Concise Course in Physics'', ''Far-fetched Thoughts'', ''The Philosophy of Socrates'', ''The Evolution of Philosophy in Europe'', ''My Message to the Academy of Language (Farhangestan)'', ''The Rules of Oratory or The Technique of Speech Making'', and a book on the Shahnameh ''(The Book of Kings).'' Grave of Mohammad Ali Foroughi

In addition to this, Foroughi prepared scholarly editions of the works of Saadi,

Hafez (), known by his pen name Hafez ( or 'the keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz, “Ḥāfeẓ” designates someoone who has learned the Qurʾān by heart" also known by his nickname Lisan al-Ghaib ('the tongue of the unseen'), was a Persian lyri ...

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (), or simply Rumi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Hanafi '' faqih'' (jurist), Maturidi theologian (''mutakallim''), and Sufi mystic born during the Khwarazmian Empire ...

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) (Persian language, Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar ...

and

Ferdowsi Abu'l-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi (also Firdawsi, ; 940 – 1019/1025) was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a single poet, and the gre ...

. The best-known of Foroughi's critical editions is Saadi's ''Kolliyat''. His son Mohsen Foroughi was a renowned architect who completed his studies in France and designed the Niavaran Palace Complex, which is situated in northern Tehran, Iran. It consists of several buildings and a museum. The Sahebghraniyeh Palace of the time of Naser al-Din Shah of

Qajar dynasty The Qajar family (; 1789–1925) was an Iranian royal family founded by Mohammad Khan (), a member of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman-descended Qajar tribe. The dynasty's effective rule in Iran ended in 1925 when Iran's '' Majlis'', conven ...

is also inside this complex. The main Niavaran Palace, completed in 1968, was the primary residence of the last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Imperial family until the

Iranian revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

. Franz Malekebrahimian worked directly under Mohsen Foruoghi in implementation and maintenance of the Palace.

References

Sources

* 'Alí Rizā Awsatí (), ''Iran in the past three centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'' – ), Volumes 1 and 2 (Paktāb Publishing – , Tehran, Iran, 2003). (Vol. 1), (Vol. 2).

External links

* A short motion picture of ''Mohammad-Ali Foroughi'', from the film archives of Anoshirvan Sepahbodi,

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, 1931
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Foroughi, Mohammad Ali 1870s births 1942 deaths Politicians from Tehran Revival Party politicians Prime ministers of Iran Government ministers of Iran Iranian literary scholars Members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature Ambassadors of Iran to the United States Speakers of the National Consultative Assembly Members of the 2nd Iranian Majlis Members of the 3rd Iranian Majlis Ministers of justice of Iran 20th-century Iranian politicians Scholars of Persian literature 20th-century Iranian writers