Mirza Reza Arfa al-Dawlah (1270-1356 AH) and the Record of the Ottoman Embassy

The present article seeks to describe the political life of Mirza Reza Arfa al-Dawla with emphasis on the record of his performance as a diplomat in the Ottoman Empire. In this paper, drawing on diverse sources such as memoirs, newspapers, archival documents and other studies, the diplomatic records of Arfa in Istanbul are evaluated. The research posits that Mirza Reza Arfa al-Dawla, as Iran's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, took advantage of his diplomatic skills and good relationships with the Ottoman sultan to pave the way for the peaceful resolution of issues between the two countries. The findings suggest that addressing the border problems triggered by the displacement of tribes and the Ottoman government's military invasion to Iran, striving to settle the problem of military service of Iranian citizens born to an Ottoman mother, raising Iran's customs tariff, contributing to the exemption of Iranians living in Istanbul from paying deferred tax on Iranian schools, hospitals and cemeteries, obtaining the permission to perform Iranian and Shiite religious rites freely in Mecca and Medina, and cooperating with the Saadat Association to resolve the case regarding the report of Wahhabeing, the Ottoman ambassador to Iran, on Iranians' disrespect to Sunni sacred rituals, which provoked the wrath of Tawfiq Pasha, Ottoman Foreign Minister Ottoman Empire, are among the challenges facing and measures taken by Mirza Reza Arfa al-Dawlah in the Ottoman Empire