The Persian diplomat Mirza Malkam Khan (1831-1908) was a forerunner of reform and modernization in Persia and an indefatigable propagandist for modern ideas and institutions.

Malkam Khan was born of Armenian parents in Esfahan and at an early age was sent to Paris to study. It was said that his father had become a Moslem. Malkam Khan, however, did not either profess or deny his faith in Islam. He returned to Persia when he was 18 and was employed as an interpreter by the famous reformer Prime Minister Tagi Khan Amir-e Kabir.

Sometime between 1855 and 1860 Malkam did two things which not only showed his restless character but also created enemies for him. One was the introduction of a Masonic lodge in Persia. He persuaded the Shah to grant permission for this novel idea and called it faramushkhaneh, or house of forgetfulness. Later the Shah became very suspicious when some...