Biography

You have perhaps heard many times the story of the child who with great effort and struggle, has achieved everything that he/she desired. We have often heard this story in childhood but this story is no longer a fiction or a dream. This is the true story of a self-made man who by relying on his own hope and self-confidence and by trusting his own wisdom and logic, has constantly tasted the sweetness of success over problems.
Gholamali Malool was born in 1947 in an underprivileged neighborhood of Arak.
What he recalls of his childhood, is extreme playfulness and mischief, enthusiasm, hope and cheerfulness.
When I ask him of his childhood memories, he says, “When I was a child, in addition to the sense of sight, I could also see the world through my senses of smell and taste.”
The piercing cold of Arak in those days and the heavy snow—sometimes to the knees; the dirt roads; the lanterns; the coming up of our turn for water in the middle of the night; the brick ceiling of the cistern and the many steps and pale of water and the dark, damp and descending corridor; childhood games while barefoot; the anticipation of playtime and childhood naughtiness; the joy of drinking cold water while drenched with sweat from playing in the intense heat of the summer; the bloom of the trumpet flowers in the small garden of the courtyard are all a part of his childhood memories.
Sleeping on the rooftop during the summer and penetrating the depths of the sky and flying to the other side of the stars—childhood dreams and embracing the moon and swimming through the moonlight—the scent of the New Year and the excitement of polishing to a golden shine the tarnished coins we had received as our New Year gifts; the scent of the earth after the rain; the scent of roses; the delicious taste of sugar cubes and pastries; the inexplicable taste of fresh grape berries picked in the early morning from the vine; childhood beliefs and believing that giants and dragons and Rostam and Esfandiar really exist; sitting around the korsi with family and listening to the tales of Amirarsalan, One Thousand and One Nights and the Shahnameh are all a part of his childhood memories.

Working as a an apprentice in the butcher shop, the tailor’s, the carpet design workshop and the carpet shop and being proud of being trustworthy and earning the trust of his master; indifference about his lack of wealth and considering the wealth of others as meager; not accepting any title except “honor student”; trying to break the chain and tear an iron tray like Khalil Oghab the famous bodybuilder; wishing for a wide and muscular chest, developed and powerful biceps like those of the heroes depicted in coffee-house paintings; the joy of sneaking up on the back of a carriage for a free ride and the pain of the coachman’s whip are also part of his childhood memories.
Social gatherings with his sisters and brothers next to their humble and caring father and sharp, intelligent and hardworking mother; observing the carpets wherever he went and peering over and examining each and every flower of its plants; the feeling of pure redness, greenness and blueness in the ornaments; the formation of the many trees like a vast jungle, within the frost of the window panes on a very cold winter’s day; drowning in the spiritual atmosphere of the mosques and the feeling of friendship with the flowers, birds, blossoms and arabesques of the tile-work; the thrill of the brilliant shimmer of the mirror-work in the shrines—perhaps such experiences are the main reason for Mr. Malool’s admiration of the traditional arts of Iran. An art which he too has played a part in its preservation and introduction to the world.
In short, constant pleasure and enjoyment of anything and everything, describes his childhood.
He attended the Farzin Elementary School and although he was not very studious, however, due to his sharp intelligence and strong stamina, he was able to complete this level as an honor student and with high grades. He claims, “Both while a student from elementary school to university and while studying books other than text books, I would not give up until I had completely understood the text and despised the simple memorization of texts.”
Mr. Malool’s first experience in an economic capacity and earning an income goes back to the age of twelve. One day he decides to buy some lima beans, cook them at home and sell them in the market. This experience was a profitable one for him.
This memory of his is interesting, “Back then, at the beginning of winter, philanthropists would come to the school and would give poor students coats and warm clothing.” In one of Arak’s fierce winters, his name was put on the list to receive a coat. This event affected him so much that to this day, recalling this memory brings tears to his eyes. Even then, he returned home crying and told his father, “Not only will I not take their coat, but we also have to give one or two coats to the poor children of school.”
Even though his family in terms of their financial situation counted as the poor class of society but his parents cared immensely about their children’s education.
Mathematics—especially geometry—and philosophy are his main interests during his young adulthood.
The Mohammad-Reza Shah, and later the Samsami High Schools were where he studied mathematics. The Samsami School was in those days, among the best schools of Arak where most of the students had been accepted due to their high grades. Since Mr. Malool was at the time, one of the most advanced students in Arak, he was able to register at this school and complete his studies there with very high grades and as an honor student.
Attending the Technical College or the physics department at the Science College of Tehran University, were his ultimate goals and he was accepted at both schools. In this manner in 1965, he was accepted to the civil engineering department of the Technical College of Tehran University and after five years attending this university, he was awarded his MSc degree.
From his third year in college, Mr. Malool began teaching as a private tutor to high school students to be able to afford the cost of living and his tuition in Tehran. He resided at the Kuye Daneshgah dormitory of Tehran University for the first three years of his studies and rented a room for the last two. During his fourth year, he began an internship in his own field and earned a decent pay for his work.
His love of sports are such that as a child and with everyday objects—a wooden shovel handle and some bricks—he was able to create a make-shift barbell to work out with and turned the back room to his gym. Bodybuilding and volleyball were among his favorite sports to the point that he continued playing volleyball through university and was a member of the team. After university, he never strayed far from his physical activity and playing tennis for thirty years and skiing for seventeen at the Dizin Ski resort have been among his sports hobbies.

In 1970, he married a fellow student from the biology department of the Science College of Tehran University.
They have three children: Kourosh, Sepideh and Daryoush. When he mentions their names, it is as if he is speaking of something more dear than his own life. He speaks of them with respect and fondness and is extremely proud of them.
Initially Malool and his wife, lived with his in-laws. Not long after, they rented an apartment at the end of Khosh Street in the southwest of Tehran. He then began his military service and after completing a three-month training period, was assigned to the Reconstruction and Development Corps in Ilam.
Simultaneously with his military service in Ilam, he was hired as a project manager by the same company he had completed an internship for a construction project for the headquarters of Saderat Bank in Mazandaran Province and left to Sari. Therefore every month, he spent some days in Ilam, some in Sari and some in Tehran. After this project he began another for the construction of the Saderat Bank branch in Mohammad-Reza Shah Square currently known as Jomhouri Square. He then went to Kermanshah and was signed on as the contractor for the the officer’s barracks at the Salehabad garrison. At this point, Mr. Malool bought four small lots in one of the developing areas of the city, built four houses and sold them all.
Next he was the head of the Arvandan Shipbuilding Factory construction project in Khoramshahr along the Arvandroud River. He continued working there through the completion of the piling, foundation and steel frame phases of that factory.
In 1973, he decided to work independently. The construction of 48 units in an apartment building at the intersection of Kakh and Zartosht streets, Aryan Tower on Mirdamad Street and tens of other construction projects are all a part of his business activities. The design, construction and management of Aryava pipe-building factories with an independent investment are among his business activities in the field of production.
He claims that in 2003 and at the height of his ability and capability and, when he was no more than fifty-five years old, I retired myself from my business activities so that I could have more time to spend on cultural activities and personal hobbies. There are more details about his business activities on the Economic Activities Page.
Mr. Gholamali Malool, about his reading in areas other than his school and university subjects, says that from the beginning of high school, I began reading on unrelated subjects to my field and since then, began reading philosophy books. Philosophy and philosophizing, epistemology and ontology and political philosophy are among his most favorite fields.
Rationalism and believing in logic are among his main characteristics and this character has been instilled into him since childhood. He has often said, “A moment’s thought is more beautiful than all of spring’s flowers.”
He has published various philosophical articles in newspapers and magazines and also presented talks. The results of forty years of philosophizing have been gathered as a book titled, “Wisdom: The True Prophet” and is available both in the World View section of this site and as a soon-to-be published book. Also included in this section are his philosophical ideas and beliefs.
A fondness for art, literature, handicrafts and ancient archaeological sites and travel to various countries are among his hobbies. The authorship of the book titled “Baharestan, A Doorway to Persian Rugs,” the collection of fine carpets over a period of forty years, the collection of fine engraved silverware from Esfahan over a period of thirty-five years, visiting the main historical sites of the world and renowned museums are among his activities. To learn more about his artistic and cultural activities, please refer to the section on Artistic Activities.
Mr. Malool despises financial help to individuals, however he sees no alternative in the current situation. The donation of funds for a new building for the Imam Ali school, the donation of his entire carpet collection to the National Carpet Museum of Iran, giving aid to the construction of educational centers and various charitable activities are among his humanitarian work. To learn more about these activities, please refer to the page on Charitable Activities.
Mr. Malool would like to thus thank the following individuals, who have helped in the creation of this site,
“I am grateful to Mr. Iman Malool for his guidance and help in all the stages of this site, to Mr. Reza Razavi who patiently has carried out all the graphic design of this site and to Ms. Simindokht Dehghani for her translation of the material. And I would also like to thank Ms. Hadis Shokuhi who for the past few years, has diligently typed, edited and proofread all the text for the site, and has patiently endured my obsessive and sometimes unnecessary fanatical attention to detail and in the introduction of every section, has been the narrator of my words.