Rashid al-Din

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Rashid al-Din Tabib also Rashid ad-Din Fadhlullah Hamadani (1247 - 1318), was a Persian physician, writer and historian, who wrote an enormous Islamic history volume, the Jami al-Tawarikh, in the Persian language.

He was also an official at the 13th and 14th century Ilkhanid court, possibly the steward to the Il-Khan Gaykhatu (1291-95), and as financial advisor to Abaqa's grandson, Mahmud Ghazan (1295-1304).

Rashid al-Din was born into a Jewish family and converted to Islam sometime around the age of 30. He served as a vizier and physician throughout his life.

The Jami al-Tawarikh was commissioned by Mahmud Ghazan, begun as a history of the Mongols and their dynasty and then expanded to include the entire history since the time of Adam to Rashid al-Din's time. The time of its completion is believed to be between 1307 to 1316, during the reign of the khan Öljeitü.

Rashid al-Din had access to information from a now-lost Mongol chronicle for the period of Genghis Khan, and historians find by comparison with material that survives in Chinese sources that he made good use of the source ^{[citation needed]}. His treatment of the Ilkhanid period is seems to be biased, as he himself was a high official, yet it is still seen as the most valuable written source for the dynasty.

The work was at the time of completion, circa 1307, of monumental size. Unfortunately all sections have not survived or been discovered. Portions of the Jami al-Tawarikh survive in lavishly illustrated manuscripts, some produced during the lifetime and perhaps under the direction of Rashid al-Din.

Two portions of the surviving encyclopedia, volumes II and III, are of great importance for the study of the Il-Khanate. Volume II is an account of the successors of Genghis Khan while volume III describes the Il-Khans of Iran. In his narration down to the reign of Möngke (1251-59), Juvayni was Rashid al-Din's main source; however, he also utilized numerous now-lost Far Eastern and other sources. The Jami' al-Tawarikh is perhaps the single most comprehensive Persian source on the Mongol period.

Rashid al-Din owned large estates in the Caucasus and Asia Minor ^{[citation needed]}. The administration of the state (during 0ljeitu's reign) had become almost a private monopoly of his family: of his fourteen sons, eight were governors of provinces, including the whole of western Iran, Georgia, Iraq, and the greater part of what is now Turkey.

Rashid al-Din was executed in 1318 after being charged with having poisoned ^{[citation needed]} the khan Öljeitü.