The Banu Jahīr and Their Role in the Abbasid and Saljuq Administration

Author: Hanne, Eric

Source: Al Masaq: Islam and the Medieval Mediterranean, Volume 20, Number 1, March 2008 , pp. 29-45(17)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

This article addresses the complex relationship among the Banu Jahīr, a family of viziers, and their Abbasid and Saljuq employers during the latter half of the fifth/eleventh century. Fakhr al-Dawla b. Jahīr and his son Amīd al-Dawla worked for both the Abbasid and Saljuq administrations during a period in which the caliphs (al-Qaim and al-Muqtadī) were attempting to reassert their position in the region in light of the rise of the Saljuqs, represented by such figures as ughril Bek, Malikshah, and the vizier Niam al-Mulk. At times more accomplished and experienced than their respective employers, Fakhr al-Dawla and Amīd al-Dawla were able to navigate the precarious political waters of their period, often acting in their own best interests as opposed to those of their rulers.

Keywords: Vizierate; Abbasid dynasty; Saljuq sultanate; Niam al-Mulk, Saljuq vizier; Banu Jahīr, Iraqi viziers; Iraq-politics, advice & counsel

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/09503110701823536