Mirza Mohammad-Ali Khan Shirazi | |
|---|---|
 Drawing of Mirza Mohammad-Ali Khan Shirazi in 1847 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office July 1851 – 9 February 1852 | |
| Monarch | Naser al-Din Shah Qajar |
| Preceded by | Amir Kabir |
| Succeeded by | Mirza Saeed Khan Ansari |
| Head of the Dar ul-Funun | |
| In office 29 December 1851 – 9 February 1852 | |
| Succeeded by | Aziz Khan Mokri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1780 Shiraz, Zand Iran |
| Died | 9 February 1852 (aged 71–72) Tehran, Qajar Iran |
| Relatives | Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi (uncle) |
Mirza Mohammad-Ali Khan Shirazi (Persian: میرزا محمدعلی خان شیرازی; c. 1780 – 9 February 1852) was an Iranian diplomat who served as the minister of foreign affairs from July 1851 to 9 February 1852. He also served as the ambassador to France in 1847, confirmed the Second Treaty of Erzurum with the Ottoman Empire in 1848, and from 29 December 1851 served as the head of the Dar ul-Funun, whose establishment marked the start of modern education in Iran.
Born in c. 1780 in Shiraz, Mohammad-Ali Khan was the nephew of Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi, and served as his main secretary during his diplomatic missions to Russia in 1815 and to Britain in 1818–1819. When Mohammad-Ali Khan returned from Europe in 1824, he became the secretary of the Foreign Ministry in the capital of Tehran. In 1847, he was appointed as Iran's ambassador to France, aiming to improve trade relations, inquire about the situation of the five Iranian students there, and make the French envoy Eugene de Sartiges gain permission to represent the French government as an envoy extraordinary in Tehran.
During this period, Mohammad-Ali Khan was also tasked with confirming the Second Treaty of Erzurum with the Ottoman Empire, which eventually happened in 1848. In July 1851, he was appointed the minister of foreign affairs, and on 29 December 1851, he became the first head of the Dar ul-Funun college. He died of illness on 9 February 1852.