The Indian Biographical Dictionary (1915)/Bilgrami, Syed Ali, Shams-ul-Ulema
Bilgrami, Syed Ali, Shams-ul-Ulema, M.A.(Cantab), L.L.B., L.H. (Calcutta), B.L. (Calcutta) son of Syed Zainuddin Husain Khan Bahadur, of the Bengal Provincial Service, a member of the well known family of the Sayyids of Bilgram, who emigrated to India from Wasit in Mesopotamia; born, 1853; educated at Canning College, Lucknow, Patna College, Bankipur, and Thomson Civil Engineering College, Roorki; visited Europe and England in the suite of Sir Salar Jang I, the famous Prime Minister of Haideraljad, 1876; Joined the Royal School of Mines, passed the Examination for the Associateship and obtained the Murchison Medal in Geology; Returned to India, 1879; entered the service of the Nizam, 1879; was Secretary in the Departments of Public Works, Railways and Mines for nearly ten years; retired in 1901 to settle in England; Examiner in Sanskrit to the University of Madras from 1890-2; received the title of Shams-ul-ulema for Arabic learning, 1891: Gold Medallist, in law, Calcutta University; was appointed Lecturer in Marathi to the University of Cambridge, 1902. Publications: Civilization of the Arabs, translated from the French, of Dr. Gustav Le Bon; Manual of Medical Jurisprudence; Monograph on the Book of Kalila and Dimna; Notes on the Educational Value of Persian as compared with Sanskrit; A Guide to the Cave Temples of Ellora; The Geology and Economic Minerals of Hyderabad, etc; appointed by the India Office to catalogue the collections of Arabic and Persian M.S.S., known as the Delhi M.S.S., 1902. Recreation:'Walking, cycling and tennis. Address: Khairatabad, Hyderabad, Deccan, India. Club: United Service, Secunderabad.