Mirza Mohammad Taqi Khan Farahani, better known by his honorific title Amir Kabir, stands among the most consequential statesmen in nineteenth-century Iranian history. Born on 19 Dey 1185 (January 9, 1807) in the village of Hazaveh in the Farahan region, and assassinated on 20 Dey 1230 (January 10, 1852) in Kashan, his life encapsulates both the promise and peril of reform in Qajar Iran. During his brief but transformative tenure as the first Prime Minister (Sadr-e Azam) of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, from 18 Mehr 1227 to 12 Aban 1230, Amir Kabir initiated sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening the state, modernizing institutions, curbing corruption, and reducing foreign influence.
His legacy rests on three pillars: administrative and financial reform, the founding of Dar al-Fonun as Iran’s first modern higher education institution, and the publication of the newspaper Vaqay-e-Etfaghiyeh, one of the earliest Persian-language newspapers in the country. Yet his bold measures also provoked fierce resistance from entrenched court factions, culminating in his exile and assassination in the Fin Baths of Kashan. His life story is not merely a biography of a statesman; it is a narrative of reform confronted by reaction, of national aspiration restrained by palace intrigue.
