Set Khan Astvatsatourian

[1] Set Khan is immortalized in stone holding his Ottoman-jeweled dagger within the "Asia Group" statuary at the Prince Albert Memorial in London's Hyde Park.

[1] As a result of the rarity of multilingual individuals in Bushire, Set became the translator for the Ambassador of Great Britain, who was traveling to Iran to meet with Fath-Ali Shah and his court in Tehran.

After returning to Iran, Set Khan again travelled to London, but this time as a military advisor alongside ambassador Mirza Saleh Shirazi.

[1] As copper was in high demand in Iran, Set Khan began to concentrate his efforts on cannon smelting, which was considered a breakthrough in Iranian military development.

Set Khan's involvement with this foundational phase of the modernization of the Persian army would initiate a century of his own and his descendants’ leading role in the process.

"[1] In The Immortals by Alice Navasargian, it is noted that Set Khan wore beautifully tailored clothes, sported a thick beard and a well groomed appearance, and was known by the highest elements of British society, being associated with royalty and dignitaries.

[1] Firuz Kazemzadeh characterizes the next fifty years of development, "Under the rule of Mohammad Shah, the Persian army lost whatever effectiveness it had possessed in the previous reign.

Set Khan in the "Asia Group" statuary at the Prince Albert
Set Khan translates for Sir Harford Jones (right) in the court of Fat’h Ali , the Shah of Persia, by Robert Smirke
Reviewing in battle