The 14th-century world history that served as a political tool for Mongol hegemony

Art · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Produced in the Ilkhanate, the Jami' al-tawārīkh is often cited as the first true world history. Commissioned to justify Mongol rule, this massive project employed hundreds of artists and scribes to create a standardized, lavishly illustrated vision of history that spanned from China to Europe, blending diverse cultural artistic influences.

Written by the physician and vizier Rashid al-Din Hamadani in the early 14th century, the Jami' al-tawārīkh was a grand state project. Initially commissioned by the Il-Khan Ghazan to document Mongol history and nomadic roots, the scope expanded under his successor Öljaitü to encompass a universal history of the known world. Rashid al-Din, a Jewish-born convert to Islam, managed this massive undertaking from the university precinct at Rab'-e Rashidi in Tabriz, where he employed over 300 workers to produce annual copies in both Arabic and Persian for distribution across the empire.

The work is a masterpiece of cross-cultural synthesis. Its illustrations, which represent a pinnacle of early Persian miniature art, reveal a unique convergence of global styles. Artists incorporated Chinese techniques like dark outlines and transparent washes, alongside Byzantine-inspired gestures and Christian iconographic compositions—such as adapting the Nativity of Jesus for the birth of Muhammad. This cosmopolitan aesthetic was fostered by the diverse intellectual environment of Tabriz, a crossroads where scholars and models of painting from across the Mongol-controlled world converged.

Despite its status as a landmark of historiography, the Jami' al-tawārīkh remains a subject of scholarly debate. While Rashid al-Din is the primary author, the work was a collective effort, with some sections directly borrowed from earlier historians like Juvayni. Furthermore, the official nature of the text—intended to solidify Mongol legitimacy—raises questions about its objectivity. Nevertheless, it remains a vital record, surviving today only in fragmentary manuscripts that have traveled from the libraries of Mughal emperors to modern collections in London and Edinburgh, with one fragment fetching a record-breaking £850,000 at auction in 1980.

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