 Even though Mirza Mehdi rose to become an eminent figure in 18th century Iran, not much is known about his life.A native of Astarabad (present-day Gorgan), he was the son of a certain Mohammad-Nasir, and he presumably spent his young life in Isfahan during the late Safavid period, where he practised to become a civil servant.During the reign of the last Safavid king, Sultan Husayn (r. 1696-1722), the Afghans attacked Iran.