Translation and the Promotion of Science at Dar al-Fonun School in Iran Under the Qajars

The present study examines the role of translation in promoting new sciences in Dar al-Fonun, the first modern school of higher education in Iran during the Nasseri period (۱۸۳۱-۱۸۹۶). Amir Kabir, the chief minister under Nasser al-Din Shah – following his modernization programs for the development of Iran subsequent to the Western industrial revolution after which Iran experienced a delay in benefiting from advancement in science and technology during the early ۱۹th century – established Dar al-Fonun school in a Western and European style with the aim of promoting and strengthening science and knowledge so that Iranian specialists could be trained in various scientific fields. As a result, translation became one of the tools for introducing modern sciences to Iran in order to fight against the country’s backwardness in various fields. The period covered by this research is from ۱۸۵۱ to ۱۸۹۶ – from the foundation of the school to the end of the Nasseri era. The results of the study, conducted by using library method, second-hand sources and their content analysis, show that translation in various ways enabled Iranian students to benefit from modern higher education and after graduation, they served as experts in various fields, making a huge contribution to the expansion of modern sciences for the development of the country.

کلیدواژه ها:

Dar al-Fonun School ، promotion of sciences ، Qajar ، Nasseri era