A man wrote a big book.
It tells stories from all over. It has many pretty pictures.
These pictures show many people. The book helps us learn. Do you like stories?
A man named Rashid al-Din wrote a big book.
He wanted to tell the history of the whole world.
The book tells stories about many lands. It tells of China and Europe. It also tells of the Mongols.
Many artists helped make the book. They drew pretty pictures in it. These pictures use ink and paint.
The pictures show people from many places. They show kings and old stories. Some art looks like art from China.
We can still see parts of the book today. It is a very special treasure from the past.
A man named Rashid al-Din wrote a famous book.
It is called Jami al-tawarikh. This name means "Compendium of Chronicles." He began this work in the early 1300s. People call it the first world history. It tells stories from China to Europe. It also shares the history of the Mongol people.
Rashid al-Din was a doctor from Iran. He became a high leader in the Mongol court. He built a large center for learning. Over 300 workers helped him there. Many artists and scribes worked on the book. They made beautiful pictures called Persian miniatures.
These pictures use ink and watercolor. Some art styles look like they came from China. Others look like art from the Byzantine Empire.
We can still find parts of the book today. Some pages are in London and Edinburgh. One piece was sold for a very high price. It cost 850,000 pounds in 1980.
The Jami' al-tawarikh is a famous work of history and literature.
Many people call it the first true world history. It was created in the Mongol Ilkhanate during the early 14th century. The book covers many different cultures and major events. It tells stories from China all the way to Europe. It also focuses on the history of the Mongol people. This helped to protect the cultural legacy of the Mongol Empire.
Creating this book was a massive and careful job. It was written in three large volumes. Rashid al-Din Hamadani oversaw the entire project. He set up a special area at the Rab'-e Rashidi university in Tabriz. This place had a mosque, a library, and a hospital. Over 300 workers helped to make the books. They included hundreds of scribes and talented artists.
The goal was to make two new copies every single year. These copies were sent to schools and cities across many lands.
Rashid al-Din Hamadani was a very important person. He was born in 1247 in Hamadan, Iran. His father was an apothecary, which is someone who prepares medicines. Rashid al-Din studied medicine and worked for the Ilkhan emperor, Abaqa Khan. He later became a high leader called a vizier. He served the emperor Ghazan and later the emperor Öljaitü. He was also a great supporter of art and building projects.
He was known as a very wealthy author.
The book contains four main parts. The largest part is called the Ta'rikh-i Ghazani. It tells the history of Mongol and Turkish tribes. It also covers the Mongols from the time of Genghis Khan. Another part tells the history of non-Mongol peoples in Eurasia. This includes the history of China and the history of Jews. It even includes the history of Europe, which was called Frangistan.
The book also has a section on geography.
The books are famous for beautiful Persian miniature paintings.
These artists used ink and watercolor to paint scenes. Some of the art looks like Chinese painting styles. Other parts show styles from the Byzantine Empire. Today, we can only find parts of the original work. Some pages are in the Khalili Collection in London. Other pages are in the Edinburgh University Library.
In 1980, one piece sold for 850,000 pounds.
The Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh is a monumental work of history and literature. It was produced in the Mongol Ilkhanate during the early 14th century. Many scholars call it "the first world history." This is because it covers a massive breadth of human experience. It describes cultures and major events from China to Europe. The work was written in three large volumes. It was published in both Arabic and Persian versions.
The book served a very specific political purpose. It was commissioned by the Il-Khan Ghazan. The Mongols were becoming settled in their new lands. They were adopting Persian customs and ways of life. Ghazan wanted the Mongols to remember their nomadic roots. He wanted to secure the Mongol Empire's cultural legacy. The work was meant to justify Mongol hegemony. Hegemony means leadership or dominance over other people.
Creating this work was a massive organizational feat. Rashid al-Din Hamadani managed the entire project. He established a special precinct at the Rab'-e Rashidi university in Tabriz. This complex included a mosque, a hospital, and a library. It also included classrooms for students. Over 300 workers were employed at this site. Hundreds of scribes and artists worked together. Their goal was to create two new copies every year. These were sent to cities across the Middle East and Central Asia.
The content of the Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh is divided into four main sections. The largest section is the Taʾrīkh-ī Ghazānī. It covers Mongol and Turkish tribes, including their genealogies and legends. It tracks Mongol history from Genghis Khan until the death of Mahmud Ghazan in 1304. The second part is a universal history of Eurasia. It follows the style of the historian al-Tabari. This section covers Adam and the patriarchs. It also includes the history of China, Jewish history, and the Indians. It even covers Frangistan, which refers to Europe.
The author, Rashid al-Din Hamadani, had a very interesting life. He was born in 1247 in Hamadan, Iran. He was born into a Jewish family. His father worked as an apothecary. An apothecary is a person who prepares medicines. Rashid al-Din studied medicine before joining the court of Abaqa Khan. He converted to Islam around the age of thirty. He eventually became the vizier, or high official, for emperor Ghazan. He held this powerful position until 1316. However, he was later executed in 1318.
The book is famous for its Persian miniature paintings. These are small, highly detailed illustrations. Artists used ink and watercolor to create them. Sometimes they even used silver. The art shows many different styles. Some illustrations use Chinese painting techniques. These include dark outlines and transparent washes. Other parts show Byzantine influence. This is seen in the long gestures of the figures. The images show religious events and courtly scenes.
Today, only parts of the original work have survived. We only have about 400 pages of the original. One Arabic version is in the Khalili Collection in London. It contains 59 folios from the second volume. Another set of 151 folios is at Edinburgh University Library. Some Persian copies are in the Topkapı Palace Library in Istanbul. In 1980, a piece of the manuscript was sold at auction. It sold for £850,000. This was the highest price ever paid for a medieval manuscript.
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