Cyrus Alai

{{Short description|Persian-British engineer}}

{{BLP no footnotes|date=September 2018}}{{Infobox person

| name = Cyrus Alai

| nationality = Persian

| alma_mater = Technische Universität Berlin

| occupation = Persian-British engineer

}}

Cyrus Alai (Persian: سیروس علایی) is a Persian-British engineer, map collector and the author of the book "General Maps of Persia".

Alai was born in Tehran and studied at Technische Universität Berlin. Before the 1979 revolution he was a lecturer at Tehran University. Shortly after the revolution he moved to London.

Alai has contributed to various publications such as the Encyclopedia Iranica for the entries related to cartography of Persia.{{Cite web|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/geography-iv-cartography-of-persia-|title = Encyclopaedia Iranica, GEOGRAPHY iv. Cartography of Persia}}

He is the author of two books "General Maps of Persia"{{Cite book|url=https://brill.com/view/title/11878|isbn = 9789004491182|title = General Maps of Persia 1477 - 1925|date = 28 October 2005|publisher = Brill}} and "Special Maps of Persia"{{Cite book|url=https://brill.com/view/title/15585|isbn = 9789004201309|title = Special Maps of Persia 1477-1925|date = 5 October 2010|publisher = Brill}} which have been published by Brill Publications in the Netherlands in 2006 and 2009. He donated his huge collection of Persian maps to the University of London.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/archives/2015/01/23/dr-cyrus-ala%E2%80%99i%E2%80%99s-map-collection-of-persia/#:~:text=In%20January%202013%20Dr%20Cyrus,then%20passed%20to%20SOAS%20Archives|title = Special Collections, SOAS Library: Dr Cyrus Ala’i’s Map Collection of Persia}}