Amin-ed Dowleh, Farrokh Khan (Ghaffari)*

This is a painting of Farrokh Khan, Amin-ed Dowleh II, on a state visit to France, in the presence of Emperor Napoleon III. Amin-e Dowleh was Nasser-ed-Din Shah's "Sadr-e Azam" or prime minister, and was one of the most important personalities in the court at the time. (Source of lithograph Tarikh-e Iran dar Dowreh-ye Qajar, by Iradj Afshar)

Farrokh Khan's Family Tree is as follows:

Mirza Mehdi (father of): 1) Farrokh Khan Amin-ed Dowleh I; 2) Mirza Hashem Khan Amin-ed Dowleh (title given by Nasser-ed-Din Shah to him after his brother Farrokh Khan's death).

Farrokh Khan's sons: 1) Nassrollah Khan; 2) Mohammad Hassan Khan; 3) Mohammad Hossein Khan; 4) Mohammad Ebrahim Khan; 5) Mirza Mehdi Khan.

First two sons die in 1283 (hejri) (ca 1864).

Farrokh Khan (Amine Dowleh I) dies 1288 (hejri) (1868) and is buried in Qom at the family shrine.

Nasser-ed-Din Shah calls the third and eldest surviving son of Farrokh Khan Amin-ed Dowleh, Mohammad Hossein Khan, "Farrokh Khan" on the tradition that the son of the courtier who is dearest to the shah is named by him after his father's name. This is the Farrokh Khan in the painting above. He also inherits the title Amine Dowleh from his father with royal assent. (Amin-ed Dowleh II).

His brother, Mohammad Ebrahim Khan received the title Moaven-ol-Dowleh. (His son is Hassan Ali Ghaffari Moaven-ol-Dowleh).

His other brother, Mirza Mehdi Khan receives the titles of Adjudan-e Makhsouss, Ghaem Magham and Vazir-e Homayoun.

His modern day descendants are the Ghaffaris, among them prominently Dr. Farrokh Ghaffari, founder of the Iranian Film Museum, author and internationally renowned authority on Persian film and cinema.

For the web site of the Ghaffaris, please click here.

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Notes:

* These Amin-ed-Dowlehs are not related to the also famous descendants of Mirza Ali Khan Amin-ed-Dowleh (Amini), whose modern day descendants are Dr. Ali Amini and his son Ambassador Iradj Amini! The title "Amin-ed-Dowleh" was passed on to the Amini family after it was held by the Ghaffari family. For the Amini family history, click here.

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