History of Colonialism Book 9: The Great Game

Two days after Amir Kabir’s dismissal, Austrian teachers began teaching at Dar al-Fonun. With Amir Kabir gone, the British ambassador urged the shah to dismiss the Austrians, but Naser al-Din Shah, seemingly out of respect for the Austrian emperor, refused.

Soon after, three teachers mysteriously died: Zatti, a mathematics and engineering instructor, was found dead from suspected charcoal fumes; Joseph Czarnotta, a mining professor, died suddenly with reports of seizures; and Ernest Cloquet, the shah’s physician, drank a poisoned cup given by his servant. The mystery of these deaths at Dar al-Fonun was never solved.