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Secondary sourceBookc. 1400 (manuscript copy)

Jami' al-tawarikh

Rashid al-Din Hamadani · c. 1400 (manuscript copy)

An Ilkhanid Persian history by Rashid al-Din giving the fullest early narrative of Genghis Khan's life and conquests.

Gives the fullest early narrative of Genghis Khan's life, drawing on now-lost Mongol court records.

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Manuscript page in Persian nastaliq script with an ornate gold-and-blue illuminated Bismillah heading at top, red-ruled borders, a marginal note in gold, and a round seal stamp in the margin on the right. Adjacent page edge visible at left.
Page from the Jami' al-tawarikh of Rashid al-Din, Herat, 1433-1434. British Library, Add. MS 7628, f. 410v.

About this source

What it is

Written by Rashid al-Din Hamadani, vizier to the Mongol Ilkhan rulers of Persia, at the start of the 14th century, this vast history covers world history but focuses heavily on the Mongols, from Genghis Khan onward. It survives today only in fragments, kept in collections including the Khalili Collection, Edinburgh University Library, the Topkapı Palace Library, and the British Library.

Why it matters

Rashid al-Din drew on Mongol court records, now lost, to produce the fullest early account of Genghis Khan's life, including his enthronement and campaigns. Commissioned by the Ilkhan Ghazan to preserve Mongol memory after they had settled into Persian life, it shows how Genghis Khan's descendants used history-writing to secure their dynasty's legacy.

Look closer

  • Why would a Mongol ruler want a grand illustrated history of his own ancestors written and copied many times?
  • What does the involvement of hundreds of scribes and artists tell you about the importance placed on this project?
  • Why might using now-lost Mongol court records make this source especially valuable to historians?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Genghis Khan, Omar Khayyam and Marco Polo on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Painted manuscript frontispiece in gold, blue and green tones: on the left a seated bearded man in blue robes writes beside a flowering tree, while a standing figure in gold-patterned robes gestures toward it. On the right a white horse with a blue gold-decorated saddle cloth stands above a small seated figure, with stylized clouds and a bird-like motif above.Book

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Tarikh-i Jahangushay-i Juvaini

Ata-Malik Juvayni

A tall, arch-topped grey stone stele standing upright in a display case against a dark blue background, with several vertical columns of carved inscription in an old script. A blue label sits at the bottom of the display.Artifact

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Stele of Genghis Khan

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Red impression of a seal in vertical columns of stylized, angular Mongolian-script characters on a white background, with a red frame border along the edges.Letter

Primary source

Cum non solum

Pope Innocent IV · 13 March 1245

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