Haji Mirza Aqasi

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Haji Mirza Abbas Iravani, better known as Aqasi, was an Iranian politician who served as the grand vizier (prime minister) of Mohammad Shah Qajar from 1835 to 1848. He was born around 1783 in Iravan (Yerevan) and came from the Bayat clan. In his youth he spent time with his father at Shi’ite holy sites in Ottoman Iraq and was educated by the Sufi teacher Molla Abd-al-Samad. After a period as a homeless dervish and a Mecca pilgrimage, he returned home and later moved to Tabriz, where he joined the service of Mirza Bozorg Qa’em-Maqam and rose in rank, earning the title Aqasi. Bozorg’s death sparked conflicts that forced Aqasi to flee to Khoy, but with help from Amir Khan Sardar he entered Abbas Mirza’s service and became tutor to Abbas Mirza’s sons, including Mohammad Mirza (the future Mohammad Shah). When Mohammad Mirza became shah in 1834, Abbas Mirza appointed Aqasi as minister; in 1835 Aqasi had Abbas Mirza’s rival Abol-Qasem Qa’em-Maqam executed, and Aqasi then became the new minister. He avoided the traditional title of Sadr-e-azam, calling himself “Shakhs-e awwal” (the first person), and used his position to consolidate power, installing allies from Azerbaijan. Aqasi introduced Mohammad Shah to Sufism, and they were viewed as two “dervishes.” He sought to balance reform and tradition, using religious mysticism to counter the growing influence of mullahs and foreign powers. In foreign affairs he helped keep Iran from breaking apart under Russia or Britain, while internally supporting projects like mulberry cultivation in Kerman for silk and plans to divert the Karaj River for Tehran’s water supply. Critics say his policies enriched a new aristocracy at the expense of peasants. Shoghi Effendi, a Bahá’í leader, described Aqasi as “the Antichrist of the Bábí Revelation.” Aqasi died in 1849 in Ottoman Iraq.