Reza-Qoli Khan Hedayat

Rezā Qoli Khān Hedāyat (Persian: رضاقُلی خانِ هدایت) (June 8, 1800 - June 29, 1871) was a Persian writer and poet, and tutor of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar.

He was born in 1800 in Tehran. Upon the completion of his education he entered the service of Prince Hossein Ali Mirza Farman Farma son of Fat'h Ali Shah and governor of Shiraz. He was given the title of Khan and of Amir-ol Sho'ara in 1830, when Fath Ali Shah visited Shiraz.

In 1838 he came back to Tehran. Mohammed Shah instructed him to remain at the court and in 1841 selected him as tutor to his son Prince Abbas Mirza Molk Ara. In 1847 he was appointed governor of Firuzkuh.

In 1851, he was chosen by Naser al-Din Shah to lead the Embassy to Khiva. He was minister of education in 1852 and principal of the newly founded Dar-ol-fonoon College at Tehran.

In 1857, he was selected as tutor of Mozaffar al-Din Shah.

He died from a severe illness in 1871. He has two sons, Ali Qoli Khan Mokhber ed-Dowleh and Ja'afar Qoli Khan Nayer-ol-Molk. Reza Qoli Khan was great-grandfather of Sadeq Hedayat.

He also wrote a Divan containing 50,000 distichs and six Mathnavis.

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