The Rise and Fall of the Barmakids: Stories from a Forgotten Persian Manuscript / Pejman Firoozbakhsh, Arezou Azad.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Firoozbakhsh, Pejman, editor.

Azad, Arezou, editor.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (344 p.)

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press, [2026]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

This translation of a medieval Persian story cycle adds new perspectives to Abbasid history, Delhi sultanate history, global history and world literatureTranslates into English a cycle of 70 medieval Persian stories about the famous Barmakid family of Muslim courtiers from modern-day Afghanistan. Annotations establish correspondences between characters, places and events in the stories and their historical prototypes. Based on a little-known manuscript, Bodleian Library, MS Ouseley 217. Expands the material on the Barmakids by making available in English a source from a new geographical area (Delhi Sultanate) and of a new genre (advice literature for rulers). Accessible to a non-specialist audience. This volume offers the first annotated English translation of Diyaal-Din Baranis The Accounts of the Barmakids, based on a little-known manuscript housed in the Bodleian Library, MS Ouseley 217. The Barmakids, originally from the Balkh region in modern-day Afghanistan, were a prominent family of converts to Islam who rose to great power in the 8th century, under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Their influence reached its height under the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, who eventually brought about their downfall. The Barmakids have intrigued both medieval and modern scholars, with their legacy preserved in regional lore and Western popular culture, the latter particularly through the One Thousand and One Nights. While early Arabic sources provide factual accounts of the family, Barani's Persian story cycle, written in the 14th-century, paints a more vivid picture. Contained within this work are 70 tales, including stories of generosity, wise leadership, romance and skulduggery.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures

Note on the Invisible East Collection

Abbreviations

Editors and Translators Introduction

Notes on the Translation and Annotations

Translated text of Akhbar-i Barmakiyan (The Accounts of the Barmakids)

Preface

Story 1 Barmaks Meeting with Abd al-Malik b. Marwan; His Son Khalid and the Construction of a New Palace in Baghdad

Story 2 Khalids Mentorship of al-Mahdi and the Battle with the Daylamites

Story 3 Yahyas Illness and the Christian Doctor from Fars

Story 4 Yahya and the Petitioners

Story 5 Fadls Generous Acts towards Salih al-Ansari

Story 6 The Love Affair of Jafar and Abbasa

Story 7 Fadl b. Yahya and the Sindi Visitor

Story 8 Fadls Squabble with His Secretary, and His Fathers Reaction

Story 9 The Faultless House of Fadl

Story 10 Yahya and Fadl in Prison without Firewood

Story 11 Haruns Dilemma: To Destroy the Barmakids or Not

Story 12 Haruns Remorse and al-Fadl b. al-Rabis Poor Advice

Story 13 Jafar, the Poet Sari al-Ghawani and the Courtesan Rayhana

Story 14 Yahya Saves Mansur b. Ziyads Life

Story 15 Jafars Vitiligo and Yahyas Confirmation of His Filial Piety

Story 16 Jafars Party and Abd al-Malik al-Hashimis Requests

Story 17 Yahya and the Petitioner Ahmad b. Abi Khalid al-Ahwal

Story 18 Fadl Saves the Life of the Secretary Musayyib b. Qasim

Story 19 Muadh b. Harbs Forgery Brings Friendship to Yahya and His Rival

Story 20 Yahya Saves Ahmad from His Beautiful But Conniving Wife

Story 21 Fadl Interrupts His Drinking and Saves the Noble Man Khalil al-Kindi

Story 22 Jafar Convinces the Caliph to Restore Said b. Salam

Story 23 Yahya Builds a Grand House for Ishaq b. Ibrahim al-Mawsili

Story 24 Jafars Skill at Judging Peoples Petitions on Behalf of the Caliph

Story 25 Jafar Resolves an Intractable Legal Case from Basra

Story 26 Ali b. Isa b. Mahans Ruinous Rule and Haruns Remorse

Story 27 Fadl Restores Yahya b. Muadhs Wealth and Prestige

Story 28 Fadl Fears the Fires of Hell While Taking a Hot Bath

Story 29 Fadl Changes the Life of a Youth on His Wedding Day

Story 30 Al-Jahizs Endorsement of Jafars Erudition

Story 31 Haruns Acrimony and His Obstinate Suppression of the Barmakids Legacy

Story 32 Ali b. Hishams Stinginess towards His Teacher Ishaq al-Mawsili

Story 33 An Abbasid Family Member Asks Fadl for a Loan

Story 34 A Youth Doubts the Truth of the Accounts about the Barmakids Generosity

Story 35 Fadl Corrects His Error by Reinstating the Commander of Khurasan

Story 36 The Loyalty of Jafars Byzantine Slave in Defiance of Haruns Ban

Story 37 The Astrologers Prediction of Yahyas Disgrace

Story 38 Yahya and the Blind Fortune-Teller Abu Yaqub

Story 39 The Impertinent Poet Who Became Fadls Most Trusted Companion

Story 40 Harun Breaks His Oath to Protect Jafar

Story 41 Yahyas Plea for Advice on How to Save His Family

Story 42 The Barmakids Kindness to Others While Mourning Their Own Demise

Story 43 Yahyas Last-Ditch Attempt to Save the Barmakids

Story 44 Haruns Greed and Desire for the Barmakids Estate

Story 45 Jafar Explains His Expenditures on Charity and Beauty

Story 46 Jafars Astrological Predictions of His Misfortune

Story 47 Jafar and the Eloquent Beggar

Story 48 Yahya Counsels Jafar on Respecting Ones Neighbours

Story 49 Fadl Helps the Poor Doctor Who Treated Him in Prison

Story 50 Abu al-Hasan Recites Accounts about the Barmakids to Fadl in Prison

Story 51 The Man Who Called the Barmakids Heretics and Whom Fadl Forgave

Story 52 The Barmakid Generosity Extends to Their Knowledge and Wisdom

Story 53 Harun Releases Yahya and His Family on the Way to al-Raqqa

Story 54 An Arab Commander Mourns Jafars Death, and Harun Writes to the Barmakid Women

Story 55 Jafars Brothers Mourn His Death, Harun Asks the Guards to Be Good to the Barmakids, and an Uncle Disregards Their Plight

Story 56 Harun Aids Some Members of the Barmakid Family and Punishes Others

Story 57 Haruns Suspicions and the Integrity of Yahya and Fadl in Prison

Story 58 A Few Short Anecdotes about Yahyas Generosity

Story 59 Yahya and the Ascetic, and His Abandonment of Astrology

Story 60 Yahya Vows to Abandon His Faith in Omens

Story 61 Yahyas Rancid Sweets and the Petitioners Who Had to Wait

Story 62 The Superiority of Jafar in Debating al-Fadl b. al-Rabi

Story 63 Jafar Judges Petitioners Requests at the Request of the Caliph

Story 64 The Caliph and Jafar Trade Places to Teach Harith a Lesson

Story 65 Jafar Hears a Song about Death When His Executioner Arrives

Story 66 Haruns and Fadls Identical Horoscopes, Haruns Wish to Reinstate Fadl as Vizier, and Haruns Death

Story 67 The Loyalty of Jafar towards Harun and of Isa b. Shah Firuz towards Jafar

Story 68 The Restoration of the Barmakids by the Caliphs Amin and al-Mamun

Story 69 Yahya Helps Fadl Donate Money to All the Poor People of Baghdad

Story 70 Al-Mamun Revives the Barmakids Glory in a New Generation

Appendix 1 People and Places Mentioned in the Stories

Appendix 2 Genealogical Chart of the Abbasid Caliphs

Appendix 3 Map of the Abbasid Empire at the Time of the Barmakids

Appendix 4 Some Recensions of Baranis Akhbar-i Barmakiyan

Appendix 5 Premodern Persian Monographs on the Barmakids

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Photo Credits and Permissions

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed February 17 2026)

ISBN:

1-3995-5934-6