Ata-Malik Juvayni | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of Ata-Malik Juvayni writing, from a 1290 edition of theTarikh-i Jahangushay. Located in theBibliothèque nationale de France | |
| Governor ofBaghdad | |
| In office 1259–1283 | |
| Preceded by | Guo Kan |
| Succeeded by | Sharaf al-Din Harun Juvayni |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1226 (1226) |
| Died | 5 March 1283(1283-03-05) (aged 56–57) Mughan, Ilkhanate |
| Resting place | Charandab Cemetery,Tabriz |
| Relations | Shams al-Din Juvayni (younger brother) Sharaf al-Din Harun Juvayni (nephew) |
| Children | Mansur Ismatuddin |
| Parent |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Mongol Empire Ilkhanate |
| Writing career | |
| Language | Persian |
| Notable works | Tarikh-i Jahangushay |
Ata-Malik Juvayni (Persian:عطاملک جوینی,romanized: Ata-Malik Juvayni; 1226 – 5 March 1283) was a bureaucrat and historian from theJuvayni family who served under theMongol Empire. He is known for composing theTarikh-i Jahangushay ("History of the World Conqueror"), an important account on the history ofCentral Asia and the 13th-centuryMongol invasion of Muslim world.
Born in 1226, Ata-Malik belonged to thePersianJuvayni family, whose history of administrative and public service goes back to theSeljuk era.[1] Both his grandfather and his father, Baha al-Din, had held the post ofsahib-divan or Minister of Finance forMuhammad Jalal al-Din andÖgedei Khan, respectively. Baha al-Din also acted as deputy c. 1246 for his immediate superior, the emirArghun Aqa, in which role he oversaw a large area, including theKingdom of Georgia.[2]
Just like his predecessors, Ata-Malik became an important state official. He visited the Mongol capital ofKarakorum twice, beginning his history of the Mongols conquests on one such visit (c. 1252–53).[3] He was withIlkhan Hulagu inthe 1256 campaign at the taking ofAlamut, where he selected many 'choice books' from the famous Alamut library for his own purposes and burnt the books that he did not like.[4] He was responsible for saving part of its celebrated library. He had also accompanied Hulagu during thesack of Baghdad in 1258, and the next year was appointed governor ofBaghdad, LowerMesopotamia, andKhuzistan.[3][5] Around 1282, Ata-Malik attended a Mongolquriltai, or assembly, held in the Ala-Taq pastures northeast ofLake Van. He died the following year inMughan.
Ata-Malik was survived by at least one son, Mansur (died 1293) and a daughter who became the wife of theSufishaykh Sadr al-Din Ibrahim Hamuwayi, who played a key role in converting the later Ilkhanate rulerGhazan to Islam.[1] According toTarikh-i Uljaytu byAbu al-Qasim Kashani, this daughter was named Ismatuddin and she died in Maragha, August 1306.[6]
Ata-Malik's brother was the powerfulShams al-Din Mohammad Sahib-Divan, who had served as Minister of Finance under Hulagu andAbaqa Khan. A skillful leader in his own right, Shams al-Din also had influential in-laws: his wifeKhoshak was the daughter ofAvag Mkhargrdzeli,Lord High Constable of Georgia, andGvantsa, a noblewoman who went on to becomequeen of Georgia.
Ata-Malik's position at court and his family connections made him privy to information unavailable to other historians. For unknown reasons, Ata-Malik'sTarikh-i Jahangushay ends in 1260, more than twenty years before his death.
The standard edition of Ata-Malik's history is published under the titleTarikh-i Jahangushay, ed.Mirza Muhammad Qazwini, 3 vol, Gibb Memorial Series 16 (Leiden and London, 1912–37). An English translation by John Andrew BoyleThe History of the World-Conqueror was published in 1958 and republished in 1997.
Juvaini, who worked as Arghun Aqa's private secretary from 1243
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