The Ispahani family, also known as the House of Ispahani, are a Perso-Bengali business family. In Bangladesh, they own and manage M. M. Ispahani Limited, one of the country's leading conglomerates. Originally hailing from Isfahan, Iran, the family have been settled in the Indian subcontinent for more than two centuries.
History Mirza Abu Talib Ispahani visited England in 1799, and the family have maintained a presence and properties in Richmond, London. In 1820, Mohammed Hashim (1789–1850) moved from Isfahan in Qajar, Iran to Bombay and established the Ispahani Group business. In the 1830s, the business extended to Calcutta in Bengal. Hashim was notable as the first Muslim of the Assam Tea Company's Calcutta Committee. The family business also expanded from Madras in the south and Burma in the east. Many of their descendants were educated at English private schools and top universities in UK.
Hashim's grandson, Mirza Mehdy (1841–1913) made Madras as the business's headquarters. He spent twelve years in Cairo, Egypt trading Indian produce such as leather, tea, turmeric, tamarind and peanuts amongst others. In 1888, he established a branch in Dacca.
Mirza Mohamed Ispahani was the son of Mehdy and was born in 1871. Mohamed established the Calcutta office of M.M Ispahani & Sons in 1900. In the same year, a branch office was also established in London. Mohammed died in 1925.
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani (1898–1986), the eldest son, joined the partnership in 1918. He established the private limited company, M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1934 in Calcutta along with his younger brothers Abul Hassan Isphani and Mirza Mahmood Ispahani.
The final move of headquarters was made in 1947 with the shifting of the corporate headquarters to Chittagong where it stands today. The company continued to operate as a foreign company in Calcutta until 1965 when its operations in India were taken over by the Government of India. It was under the visionary leadership of Ahmad that the company rapidly expanded its business. By 1947, M.M Ispahani Limited was a leading exporter in shellac, kapok, hessian, jute bags, tea and chemicals. In 1948, Mirza Ahmad Ispahani left the family business for public service. When the family moved to East Pakistan after the Partition of India, they purchased a vast swathe of land in Dhaka's Maghbazar area. The area was named the Ispahani Colony and continues to serve as the family's estate in Dhaka.
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani's son, Mirza Mehdy Ispahani (1923–2004) was made chairman of M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1949 and remained in that post until he died, when his son Mirza Ali Behrouze Ispahani was elected chairperson of M.M. Ispahani Limited.
The company now has corporate offices in Chittagong, Dhaka and Khulna where it employs over 20,000 people in many sectors such as tea, textile, real estate, crisps, poultry, shipping and internet services.
Family members
Mirza Mehdy Ispahani (1841–1913): Mehdy Ispahani was the grandson of Haji Muhammad Hashem (the patriarch of the House of Ispahani), who moved from Isfahan, Iran to Mumbai in 1820. Mehdy Ispahani established the company's corporate headquarters in Madras from Mumbai. Prior to that he spent twelve years in Cairo trading in leather, tea, turmeric, tamarind, peanuts and other Indian products. He also established a branch in Dhaka in 1888. Mirza Mohammad Ispahani (1871–1925): In 1900, Mohammad Ispahani established M.M Ispahani & Sons in Calcutta and also opened a branch office in London. His three sons Mirza Ahmad Ispahani, Mirza Abul Hassan Isphani, and Mirza Mahmood Ispahani established the private limited company M. M. Ispahani Limited in the year 1934. Mirza Ahmad Ispahani (1898–1986): Mirza Ahmad was born in Rangoon, Burma in 1898 and was made a junior partner after joining the family firm. After his father's death in 1925, he became the senior partner. He established M. M. Ispahani Limited with his two younger brothers. Ahmad Ispahani was a close associate of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Raja of Mahmoodabad, and Ziaur Rahman. He was one of the earliest supporters of the All-India Muslim League and one of the most prominent leaders of the Pakistan Movement. In October 1946, Ispahani established Orient Airways (the predecessor of PIA) along with Adamjee Haji Dawood in Calcutta. At the personal request of Jinnah, the two industrialists also established the Muslim Commercial Bank and Eastern Federal Insurance Company. He shifted the corporate headquarters of M.M. Ispahani to Chittagong in 1947. He retired in 1948 and decided to join in public service. After the Bangladesh Liberation War, his properties were nationalized under the Enemy Property Act. Ahmad Ispahani personally went to meet Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and requested that his properties be denationalized. Mujib had the law specially changed for Ahmad Ispahani and handed all his properties back to him. When Ziaur Rahman became the president, he requested that Ahmad Ispahani become the chairman of Biman, because of his expertise in the aviation industry. However, he politely turned down the offer. Ahmad Ispahani died in Dhaka in 1986. Mirza Mehdy (Sadri) Ispahani (1923–2004): Sadri was made the chairman of M. M. Ispahani Limited in 1949 and remained in that post until his death. He served as the chairman of the Pakistan Jute Mills Association. He co-founded with his father many institutions such as the Islamia Eye Hospital, M.A Ispahani Institute of Ophthalmology, Ispahani Public School and College, Mirza Ahmed Smrity Biddalaya, CJM High School, Waisia Darassuna Dakhil Madrassah, Mirza Ahmed High School, Victory High School, Comilla Public School and College, Ispahani Girls School and College (Dhaka), Siddeshwari (University) College. Sadri resided in the Ispahani Colony in Dhaka, but died in Bangkok in 2004 at the age of 81. He left behind his wife, Razia Ispahani, 5 sons, and 3 daughters. Razia (Sultani) Ispahani died in London in 2017 at the age of 93. Mirza Ali Behrouze Ispahani (1950–2017): Behrouze Ispahani completed his education in Dhaka from St Joseph Higher Secondary School. Behrouze served as the chairman of M. M. Ispahani Limited from 2004 until his death. He was also the managing director of International Publications Limited (the holding company of The Financial Express), and a trustee of the Independent University, Bangladesh. He died in Dhaka in 2017 from a heart-attack and diabetic complications. His death was condoled by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He was married to Zahida Ispahani. Mirza Salman Ispahani: Salman Ispahani became the chairman of M. M. Ispahani Limited after the demise of his elder brother, Behrouze. Salman was elected the chairman of the International Cotton Association for 2017–18. He was the first Bangladeshi and first cotton spinner/buyer to be elected the president of this association. Salman was elected to the ICA Board of Directors in 2013. He is the former Chairman of the Tea Traders Association of Bangladesh, former chairman of the Chittagong Stock Exchange and was a member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He is also the honorary consul of Italy in Chittagong. Salman is also an avid golf player, playing in many national tournaments and hosts the annual Ispahani Cup golf tournament. Mirza Shakir Ispahani: Shakir Ispahani completed his education in England, where he obtained a law degree from the University of Kent, and completed an LLM from the University of Cambridge. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Lincoln's Inn) in 1984. Shakir is currently managing director of M. M. Ispahani Limited. He also serves as the honorary consul of Germany in Chittagong. Mirza Sajid Ispahani: Sajid Ispahani is a Chartered Accountant. He retired in 2019 but remains Chairman of Ispahani Foods Limited as well as a Director of M. M. Ispahani Limited. Sajid is also a bridge player, who served as the captain of the national bridge team representing Bangladesh in international tournaments. He also has 2 sons, Ali and Hasan, who have both worked for M. M. Ispahani Limited. Mirza Imran Ispahani: Imran Ispahani is a son of Sadri Ispahani and Sultani Ispahani. He is primarily based in the UK. He is involved in the I.T industry and lives in Richmond. Farah Khanum Ispahani: One of the daughters of Sadri Ispahani and Sultani Ispahani. She, like her elder brothers was educated in London where she went to London University's School of African & Oriental Studies to study law. Subsequent to obtaining her degree, joined Freshfields in 1983, a leading firm of solicitors in London. In 1996 she was promoted to partner based in the UK, and now heads the corporate mergers and acquisitions team of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Mirza Abul Hassan Ispahani (1902–1981): Mirza Abul Hassan (MAH) Ispahani was a son of Mirza Mohammad Ispahani. He completed his education from the St John's College, Cambridge, where obtained a Bar-at-Law in 1924. MAH was one of the closest associates of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (he is popularly known as the Quaid's Lieutenant). He met Jinnah at Cambridge in 1920 and developed a friendship with him. In 1937, at the request of Jinnah, MAH joined the Bengal Provincial Muslim League and became its joint secretary. He was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly from the party that same year. MAH was present in the 1941 All-India Muslim League session held in Madras, where the Lahore Resolution was incorporated into the party's charter. He served as the Deputy Mayor for Calcutta from 1941 to 1942 and the President of Muslim Chamber of Commerce, Calcutta from 1945 to 1947. In 1946, he was elected as a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly. After the independence of Pakistan he served as the first Pakistani ambassador to the United States. His residence in Washington, D.C. was donated to the Pakistani embassy, and is still used as the official residence of the Pakistani ambassador to the USA. MAH also served as the high commissioner to the UK from 1952 to 1954. From 1954 to 1955 he served as the Federal Minister for Industries and Commerce. He served in his final diplomatic position from 1973 to 1974 as the Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan, after which he retired from public work and became a writer. MAH was married to Ameneh Sultan and also to Begum Ghamar Ispahani, an Iranian citizen. She was the daughter of an Iranian diplomat. Ghamar Ispahani was a social worker who was a recipient of Pakistan's Nishan-e-Imtiaz and Italy's Cavalleri award. They were married during MAH's tenure as the Pakistani High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. As a result of this marriage, MAH had to resign from his diplomatic post because according to diplomatic law, a running diplomat couldn't be married to a foreigner. Ghamar Ispahani also served as a director of the EFU Life Insurance Company alongside her step-son Isky Ispahani, until 1989. She also established a girl's orphanage in Karachi. She died in 2007 at the age of 90.