Hajji Mohammad Hossein Isfahani (born 1758,

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

- died 1823) was an architect and political leader in

, Persia under the rule of Qajar Persian emperor Fath Ali Shah.

Biography

In 1795 or 1796 he was named governor (''beglarbegi'') of Isfahan,

Qom Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...

, and Kashan. In this role, Mohammad Hossein invested heavily in agriculture, which increased his own wealth and contributed to Isfahan's economic revival. In 1806 he was appointed ''mostowfi ol-mamalek'', given the title ''Amin ol-Dowleh'', and his son, Abd ol-Hossein Khan Isfahani succeeded him as ''beglarbegi''. In 1809, Mohammad Hossein presented the Peacock Throne to the shah at the shah's marriage to Tarvus Khanum Taj ol-Dowleh. In 1813 he was given the title ''Nizam al-Dawla''. In 1818, Mirza Shafi Mazandarani died and Mohammad Hossein was appointed to the position of ''sadr-e a'zam'' which he held until his death in 1823. Mohammad Hossein was close to Scottish diplomat John Macdonald Kinneir, whose reports play an important role in our understanding of Mohammad Hossein's career and building. Mohammad Hossein's term as governor led to the most extensive renovating and building in Qajar times. He renovated Masjid-e Jami, and Madrasa-e Abdallah. He built three madrasas, including

Sadr school Sadr Madrasa ( fa, مدرسه صدر) is one of the largest madrasas in Isfahan, Iran. It was built by Mohammad Hosseyn Khan Sadr Esfahani, the famous governor of Isfahan in the era of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Although the structure and decorations o ...

, built a new palace, renovating many bazaars, restoring and expanding the canal system, and enclosing slums. He removed the famous clock on the Naqsh-e Jahan, rebuilt parts of the Safavid Haft Dast palace and renovated the Bagh-e Anguristan, the Hasht Behesht, and the Talar-e Tavila. He also built a new avenue through the Khaju quarter, Chahar Bagh-e Chinarsu (aka Bagh e Now and Bagh-e Sadri). He also constructed the royal garden, Imarat-e Sadr (aka Imarat-i Naw). Mohammad Hossein was not universally praised, Rustam al-Hukama considered him an "uneducated parvenu" and claimed that Mohammad Hossein and his brothers had stolen the possessions and royal insignia of

Jafar Khan Zand Jafar Khan Zand, ( fa, جعفر خان زند) was the seventh ''shah'' (king) of theZand dynasty of Iran from 1785 to 1789. He was the son of Sadiq Khan Zand, who was removed from the throne in Shiraz by Ali Murad Khan, who had previously taken I ...

when Zand fled to Shiraz in 1785. Mohammad Hossein's son, Mohammad Ibrahim Khan Nazir ol-Dowleh, married one of the Fath Ali Shah Qajar's daughters (Khadijeh Soltan Begom, "Esmat-ed-Dowleh) and Khan's daughter married Husayn Ali Mirza Farmanfarma, governor of Shiraz. Khan died October 19, 1823.Afman 2008, p260

References

Sources

*Afnan, Mirza Habibu'llah, ed. The Genesis of the Bâabâi-Bahâaâi Faiths in Shâirâaz and Fâars. Vol. 122. Brill, 2008. *Ansari, Passim, and Abd al-Husayn Sipanta, ''Tarikhshan-i awqaf-i Isfahan'' (Isfahan, 1364/1967), 4 *Lambton, Ann SK. Landlord and peasant in Persia: a study of land tenure and land revenue administration. IB Tauris, 1991. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Isfahani, Hajji Mohammad Hossein 19th-century Iranian politicians 1758 births 1823 deaths Qajar governors of Isfahan Mostowfi ol-Mamaleks (title) 19th-century Iranian architects 18th-century Iranian politicians