Translator or Ambassador: Prince Arfa’ of Iran

The nineteenth century was a transitional era in the history of Iran, and among all dynasties that had ruled over the country, it was the Qajar dynasty who had built a bridge between tradition and modernity. A big part of modernization in Iran was and has been the duty of translators throughout modern history. During the Qajar era, translators were mostly found among the students who had furthered their studies in Western countries. They were mostly employed in the government sector after graduation. One of the influential translators of the time was Mirza Reza also known as Prince Arfa’, who first had served as a translator in the Embassy of Iran in Tbilisi [in present-day in Georgia] and proceeded to be an ambassador of Iran to the Ottoman court. Based on historical shreds of evidence traced from six royal decrees displayed at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, this study tries to draw a timeline on Prince Arfa’, highlighting his contributions in diplomatic services as well as the Persian literature. This paper draws on a descriptive framework based on a certain timeline to explain Prince Arfa’s biography in relation to historical context.