Creating the Image of Rashid al-Din, 1312–1335

Rashid al-Din fell from royal favour and was executed in 1318. This chapter traces the period of his decline and the years immediately following his death to show how contemporary historians responded to his enormous historical impact. The works of Wassaf, Qashani, and Hamd Allah Mustaufi reveal three images of Rashid al-Din that have persisted through modern scholarship, but each of these men was impacted by personal circumstances to produce a particular portrait of Rashid al-Din. This chapter contrasts accounts of specific events in the year 1312 as presented by Wassaf and Qashani to show how they created two visions of Rashid al-Din’s activity at court. Hamd Allah Mustaufi created a posthumous portrait of Rashid al-Din as a noble civil servant that became a standard source for later writers.