Abbas Mirza Molk Ara

Abbas Mirza Molk-Ara (; 27 November 1839 – 13 April 1897) was a Qajar prince and the half-brother of Naser al-Din Shah. His father Mohammad Shah, named him Abbas in memory of his own father Abbas Mirza. Some historians also believe that Mohammad Shah named his son Abbas out of respect for his mentor and prime minister, Mirza Abbas Iravani, better known as Haji Mirza Aqasi. His mother, Khadijeh Khanom Chehriqi, was the sister of Yahya Khan Chehriqi, one of the Kurdish leaders of Shekak tribe.

Biography

Abbas Mirza was younger than Naser al-Din Shah and his mother was of Kurdish origin and followed Sunni Islam; these two factors prevented him from becoming crown prince. Mohammad Shah loved Abbas Mirza more than his other sons and granted him the title of “Nāyeb al-Saltaneh” (Deputy of the Sultanate). Abbas Mirza was viewed with suspicion by Naser al-Din Shah, as the Shah considered him a claimant to the throne. He spent 27 years in exile in Baghdad and Istanbul. In 1877 or 1878, he returned to Iran after obtaining permission from Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. The Shah granted him the title “Molk-Ārā” and appointed him governor of Zanjan. After some time, Abbas Mirza fled to the Caucasus out of fear but returned to Iran in 1879/1880 through the mediation of Mirza Hosein Khan Sepahsalar. In 1896, he replaced Mohsen Moshiro’d-Dowleh as Minister of Justice. Two years later, he died of a heart attack while horseback riding.