Barmakids

The Barmakids' (Persian: 'برمکیان Barmakīyān; Arabic: البرامكة al-barāmika, also called Barmecides‎) were a noble Persian ^[1] family which came to great political power under the Abbasid caliphs.

Origins

The family has its origin in a line of hereditary priests (Sanskrit प्रमुख Pramukh, arabized to Barmak) at the Buddhist monastery of Nava Vihara (Nawbahar) west of Balkh^[2]. Traditionally, Islamic historians considered the Barmakids to be Zoroastrian priests before converting to Islam; though modern scholars reject this interpretation. According to historian Andre Clot they "came from Khorasan, but their roots were Buddhist, not Zoroastrian" (p.95).^[3]

Influence under the early Abbasids

The Barmakid family was an early supporter of the Abbasid revolt against the Umayyads and of As-Saffah. This gave Khalid bin Barmak considerable influence, and his son Yahya ibn Khalid (d. 806) was the vizier of the caliph al-Mahdi (ruled 775–785) and tutor of Harun al-Rashid (ruled 786-809). Yahya's sons Fadl and Ja'far (767-803) both occupied high offices under Harun.

Many Barmakids were patrons of the sciences, which greatly helped the propagation of Greek science and scholarship from the neighbouring Academy of Gundishapur into the Arabic world. They patronized scholars such as Gebir and Jabril ibn Bukhtishu. They are also credited with the establishment of the first paper mill in Baghdad. The power of the Barmakids in those times is reflected in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, the vizier Ja'far appears in several stories, as well as a tale that gave rise to the expression "Barmecide feast".

Disgrace and fall

In 803, the family lost grace to the eyes of Harun al-Rashid, and many of its members were imprisoned.

The popular story of their disgrace is rather romantic. Harun, it is said, found his chief pleasure in the society of his sister Abbasa and Ja'far, and in order that these two might be with him continuously without breach of etiquette, persuaded them to contract a purely formal marriage. The conditions were, however, not observed and Harun, learning that Abbasa had borne a son, caused Ja'far suddenly to be arrested and beheaded, and the rest of the family except Muhammad, Yahya's brother, to be imprisoned and deprived of their property. It is probable, however, that Harun's anger was caused to a large extent by the insinuations of his courtiers that he was a mere puppet in the hands of a powerful family.

Al Tabari and Ibn Khaldun’s versions

However, Al Tabari and Ibn Khaldun mentioned other reasons ensuring that their decline was gradual and not sudden. Their Hypotheses is:

1. The Barmakids' extravagance in spending to the extent that they overshadowed Harun al-Rashid. It has been said that Jafar built a mansion that cost twenty million Dirhams and that his father, Yahya ibn Khalid, had gold tiles on the wall of his mansion. Harun became upset one trip when traveled around Baghdad and whenever he passed an impressive house or mansion they told him it belonged to the Barmakids.
2. Al Fadhl ibn Rabee', an Abbasid loyal civil servant very close to Harun and a rival of the Barmakids, convinced Haurn to assign spies to watch them and that is how he found out about the Yehia Ibn Abdullah Al Talibi's incident.
3. The Barmakid Army: Although technically this army was under the Abbasids, in reality the soldiers gave allegiance to Al Fadhl Ibn Yahaya Al Barmaki, Jafar's brother; it numbered 50,000 soldiers. During their last days, Al Fadhl ordered 20 thousand of them to come to Baghdad and claimed to create a legion under the name of the Karnabiya Legion. This made Harun very wary of their intentions.
4. The Governor of Khurasan at the time, Ali Ibn Isa Ibn Mahan, sent a letter to Harun reporting about the unrest in his province and blaming Musa Ibn Yahya, another brother of Jafar, for it.
5. The Yehya Ibn Abdullah Al Talibi incident: In 176 Hijri Yehya Ibn Abdulla went to Daylam in Persia and called for rule by himself in place of Harun. Many people followed him and he became strong enough to cause unrest for the Abbasids. Harun managed to capture him and ordered that he be confined to house arrest at Al Fadhl's house in Baghdad. However, Al Fadhl, rather than making sure he would not escape, gave him money and a ride and let him leave Baghdad. The Abbasids considered that to be high treason.
6. Another reason, that most historians believe however to be without enough proof, is that Jafar tried to light the Zoroastrian holy fire in mosques, including the Holy Kaba.

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

1. ^ "Barmakids." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 4 June 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9013394>
2. ^ Encyclopedia Iranica, "Barmakids" by I. Abbas [1]
3. ^ Clot, Andre. Harun al-Rashid and the World of The Thousand and One Nights. Trans. John Howe. New York: New Amsterdam, 1989.

External links

• How Greek Science Passed to the Arabs, in which the Barmakids play a considerable role.