Medhat Pasha and Modernism in Iran

Medhat Pasha is a prominent Ottoman politician in 19th century. He is often titled as the father of the first Ottoman constitutional movement and the promulgator of the 1876 A.D costitution in the Ottoman Empire. Using the Diffusion theory of Hagarstrand, this paper intends to evaluate the influence of Medhat Pasha’s thoughts and action on Iranian intellectuals and politicians of the time. The conclusion is: although Medhat Pasha’s thoughts and deeds had gained attention of the contemporary Iranian intellectuals and politicians, the prevalence of structural barriers in the Iranian political system never allowed the Turkish politician influence any fundamental changes in the Iranian political atmosphere of the Gajar era. Nevertheless, the news of Medhat Pasha’s actions in the Ottoman Empire continued to be followed closely by both the conservative and reformist politicians of the Qajar dynasty in Iran for years to come.