Mohammad Ali Foroughi

Mohammad Ali Foroughi (; early August 1877 – 26 November 1942), also known as Zoka-ol-Molk (Persian: ذُکاءُالمُلک), was an Iranian politician, writer, freemason, Azali, and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Iran for three terms, being the first Prime Minister under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He wrote numerous books on ancient Iranian history and is known for founding the Academy of Iran.

Early life and education Foroughi was born in Tehran to a merchant family from Isfahan. His ancestor, Mirza Abutorab, was the representative of Isfahan in Mugan plain at Nader Shah's coronation. His grandfather, Mohammad Mehdi Arbab Isfahani, was amongst the most influential merchants of Isfahan and was skilled in history and geography. His father Mohammad Hosein Foroughi was the translator of the Shah to Arabic and French. He was also a poet and published a newspaper called Tarbiat. Naser al-Din Shah Qajar nicknamed Mohammad Hosein, Foroughi, after hearing a poem that he had written. During his early life, Foroughi studied at the élite Dar ul-Funun (Polytechnic school) in Tehran.

Career In 1907, Foroughi's father died and Foroughi inherited his father's title of Zoka-ol-Molk.

However, later Foroughi regained his status and became Prime Minister during the initial phase of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's reign.

Contribution Foroughi with Ali Mansur, Mostafa Gholibayat, Aliakbar Davar and Mahmoud Jam.The most important contribution of Foroughi to philosophy is his triplet, "The Evolution of Philosophy in Europe", in which he covered the works of European Philosophers, starting from the Seven Sages of Greece in the 7th century BC through to Henri Bergson, in the 20th century.

Books

In addition to this, Foroughi prepared scholarly editions of the works of Saadi, Hafez, Rumi, Omar Khayyam and Ferdowsi. The best-known of Foroughi's critical editions is Saadi's Kolliyat. His son, Mohsen Foroughi, was a renowned architect who completed his studies in France and designed the Niavaran Palace Complex, which is situated in northern Tehran, Iran. It consists of several buildings and a museum. The Sahebghraniyeh Palace of the time of Naser al-Din Shah of Qajar dynasty is also inside this complex. The main Niavaran Palace, completed in 1968, was the primary residence of the last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Imperial family until the Iranian revolution. Franz Malekebrahimian worked directly under Mohsen Foruoghi in implementation and maintenance of the Palace.