Mirza Fattah Khan Garmrudi (Persian: میرزا فتاح خان گرمرودی; c. 1786 – 1848) was a scribe and author in Qajar Iran, mainly known for his travelogue about his diplomatic missions to Europe, entitled Chaharfasl.
Mirza Fattah Khan Garmrudi | |
|---|---|
 Front cover of the 1968 publication of Mirza Fattah Khan Garmrudi's Chaharfasl | |
| Born | c. 1786 Kasalan, Iran |
| Died | 1848 Behbahan, Qajar Iran |
| Resting place | Shiraz |
| Language | |
| Notable works | Chaharfasl Shabnama Safarnama-ye Mamasani |
Biography
editHe was born in c. 1786 in the Kasalan village near the city of Tabriz. He belonged to a family of clerics, and his father was against his entry into government service, where he served in Mianeh as an accountant. Garmrudi was eventually moved to Tabriz, where he benefited from the support of Mirza Masud Khan Ansari and subsequently the crown prince Abbas Mirza. After the Russians conquered Tabriz at the end of the Russo-Iranian War of 1826–1828, Garmrudi, as part of Abbas Mirza's staff, was sent to negotiate with the Russian general Ivan Paskevich. He was also involved in the negotiations at Dehkvaraqan and Torkamanchay, which cemented Iran's defeat. In 1834, when Mohammad Shah Qajar ascended the throne, Garmrudi was called to Tehran and made lashkar-nevis (chief clerk) of the army.[1]
In 1838, following a dispute with England over the Herat and other issues, an Iranian delegation headed by Hossein Khan Ajudanbashi was dispatched to the European courts. Garmrudi was included in this mission, likely due to the support of Mirza Masud Khan Ansari, who served as the minister of foreign affairs during this period. Garmrudi's notability primarily stems from his travelogue of the journey, entitled Chaharfasl. The Ottoman Empire, Austria, France, and England are the nations that they traveled through, and each is covered separately in the book's four chapters. The Chaharfasl is regarded as an important record that documents early Iranian views on Europe as well as the activities of the Iranian mission.[1]
Garmrudi's Shabnama, a defamatory tale accusing the British of sexual depravity and debauchery, was another work created due to his travels throughout Europe. The book was possibly meant as a counter to The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan by James Justinian Morier, which portrayed a negative image of Iranians. When the Iranian delegation went back in 1840 to Iran, Garmrudi stayed in the retinue of Hossein Khan. The latter was given the governorship of Yazd shortly after their return, and in 1844, he was made governor of Fars. Hossein Khan demonstrated his trust in Gamrudi by entrusting him with the administration of the Kohgiluyeh and Mamasani. The tribes of the region, along with their genealogies and histories, are recorded in Garmrudi's Safarnama-ye Mamasani.[1]
Garmrudi died in 1848 at Behbahan, and was buried in Shiraz.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Algar 2020.
Sources
edit- Algar, Hamid (2020). "ʿAbd-al-Fattāḥ Garmrūdī". Encyclopaedia Iranica Online. Brill. doi:10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_4286. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
Further reading
edit- Sohrabi, Naghmeh (2012). Taken for Wonder: Nineteenth-Century Travel Accounts from Iran to Europe. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199829705.