Rashid-al-Din Hamadani

Life & Legacy

Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb (Persian: رشیدالدین طبیب;‎ 1247–1318; also known as Rašīd al-Dīn Fażl-Allāh Hamadānī or Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍlullāh Hamadānī, i.e. "of Hamadan", Persian: رشیدالدین فضل‌الله همدانی) was a statesman, historian, and physician in Ilkhanate Iran.
Having converted to Islam from Judaism by the age of 30 in 1277, Rashid al-Din became the powerful vizier of Ilkhan Ghazan. He was commissioned by Ghazan to write the Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh, now considered the most important single source for the history of the Ilkhanate period and the Mongol Empire. He retained his position as a vizier until 1316.
After being charged with poisoning the Ilkhanid king Öljaitü, he was executed in 1318.
Historian Morris Rossabi calls Rashid al-Din "arguably the most distinguished figure in Persia during Mongolian rule". He was a prolific author and established the Rab'-e Rashidi academic foundation in Tabriz.