Jaʽfar ibn Yahya BarmakiorJafar al-Barmaki (Persian: جعفر بن یحیی برمکی, Arabic: جعفر بن يحيى, Jaʽfar bin yaḥyā) (767–803), also called Aba-Fadl, was a Persian vizier of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, succeeding his father (Yahya ibn Khalid) in that position. He was a member of the influential Barmakid family, formerly Buddhist leaders of the Nava Vihara monastery. He was executed in 803 at the orders of Harun al-Rashid.
Jaʽfar ibn Yahya
جعفر بن يحيى | |
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Detail of a miniature illustrating an anecdote in which the power and influence of Jaʻfar ibn Yahya (crowned figure) is pointed out. Folio from a manuscript of Nigaristan, Iran, probably Shiraz, dated 1573-74
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Born | c. 767
Khorasan, Abbasid Caliphate
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Died | c. 803
Abbasid Caliphate
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Cause of death | Execution on the orders of Caliph Harun al-Rashid |
Other names | Aba-Fadl |
Occupation | Abbasid vizier |
Years active | c. 798 – 803 |
Era | Abbasid |
Parents |
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He had a reputation as a patron of the sciences, and did much to introduce Indian science into Baghdad.[1] He was credited with convincing the caliph to open a paper mill in Baghdad, the secret of papermaking having been obtained from Tang Chinese prisoners at the Battle of Talas (in present-day Kyrgyzstan) in 751.[citation needed]
Jaʽfar also appears (under the name of Giafar in most translations) along with Harun al-Rashid in several Arabian Nights tales, often acting as a protagonist. In "The Three Apples" for example, Jaʽfar is tasked with solving a murder, whereas in "The Tale of Attaf", Jaʽfar is more of an adventurer.
More recent media inspired by the Arabian Nights has portrayed Jaʽfar as both a villain and a sorcerer:
Family tree of the Barmakids
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