Mehmed Tahir Münif Pasha (1828-1910) was an Ottoman writer and statesman. A veteran official, he served thrice as Minister of Education (1877; 1878–1880 and 1885–1891) and twice as ambassador to

Qajar Iran Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

(1872–1877, and 1896–1897). During his first ambassadorship to Iran, he was awarded the

Order of the Lion and the Sun The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun ( Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extended to Iranians) who had rendered disting ...

medal. He also served as a trusted advisor to Sultan Abdul Hamid II, until he fell out of grace. He was responsible for establishing the ''Cemiyet-i İlmiye-i Osmaniye'' ("The Ottoman Scientific Society") and ''Mecmūa-i Fünūn'' ("Science Journal"). Münif Pasha was a

Persophile Persophilia refers to the appreciation and love of the culture, people or history of Iran (Persia). The earliest use of the word may have been by the Royal Numismatic Society in 1838; it referred to a king of Marium, in modern-day Cyprus. The opposi ...

and had long-standing involvement interacting with Iranian statesmen. Unlike most of his fellow Ottoman statesmen at the time, Münif strongly advocated for upholding closer relations with the Ottoman Empire's eastern neighbors, including Iran. However, although Münif Pasha admired Iranian culture and history and was interested in these subjects, during his first ambassadorship in the 1870s he also experienced what he described as "unparalleled backwardness" in Qajar Iran, referring to the misrule and poverty he saw.

References

{{commonscategory, Mehmed Tahir Münif Pasha Ambassadors of the Ottoman Empire to Iran Government ministers of the Ottoman Empire Writers from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 20th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 1828 births 1910 deaths