Abu Sahl Hamdawi (also spelled Hamduni, Hamdavi and Hamdu'i) was a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

statesman and military officer of the

Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus ...

, and served briefly as the ''

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

'' of

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

in 1030.

Family

Hamdawi belonged to a distinguished and rich family of noble origins, and had his own palace, which, according to

Farrukhi Sistani Abu'l-Hasan Ali ibn Julugh Farrukhi Sistani (), better known as Farrukhi Sistani (; – 1040) was one of the most prominent Persian court poets in the history of Persian literature. Initially serving a ''dehqan'' in Sistan and the Muhtajids in ...

, was "finer than the

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

Kisra ''Kisra'', also spelled kissra (), is northern Sudanese popular thin fermented bread made in Sudan, Chad, South Sudan, Algeria and some parts of Uganda and Kenya. It is made from durra or wheat. There are two different forms of ''kisra'': thin ...

". This has recently made some scholars claim that Hamdawi's ancestry goes back to ancient Persian families.

Biography

Hamdawi, during his youth, served in the Ghaznavid army, and was also a student (or assistant) of

Ahmad Maymandi Abuʾl-Ḥasan al-Qāsim Aḥmad ibn Ḥasan Maymandī (died 31 December 1032) was a Persian ''vizier'' of the Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud of Ghazni and the latter's son Mas'ud I of Ghazni. The son of the governor of Bust, Maymandi was raised as th ...

. He later entered the court of

Mahmud of Ghazni Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (), was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usuall ...

, where he shortly was appointed as the fiscal administrator of the Ghaznavid capital of

Ghazni Ghazni (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. In 1030, Mahmud died and was succeeded by his son

, who appointed Hamdawi as his vizier, but was, however, shortly overthrown by his more experienced brother

Mas'ud I Masoud (; ) is a given name and surname, with origins in Persian and Arabic. The name is found in the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and China. Masoud has spelling variations p ...

, who shortly appointed Ahmad Maymandi as his vizier, while appointing Hamdawi as the fiscal administrator of the entire Ghaznavid Empire. In 1033, Hamdawi was appointed as the governor of

Jibal Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...

, which was then held under the control of the Kakuyid ruler

Muhammad ibn Rustam Dushmanziyar Muhammad ibn Rustam Dushmanziyar (Persian: ابوجعفر دشمنزیار), also known by his ''laqab'' of Ala al-Dawla Muhammad (علاء الدوله محمد), was a Daylamite military commander who founded in 1008 the short-lived but important ...

, who was a vassal of the Ghaznavids. However, Muhammad kept rebelling against Mas'ud I, and Hamdawi was shortly sent to deal with the latter, which he managed to accomplish. During the same period, Hamdawi had to protect Jibal from marauding

Oghuz Turks The Oghuz Turks ( Middle Turkic: , ) were a western Turkic people who spoke the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family. In the 8th century, they formed a tribal confederation conventionally named the Oghuz Yabgu State in Central Asia ...

who had arrived in the region from their steppes north to

Khwarazm Khwarazm (; ; , ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the east by the Kyzylkum Desert, on the south by th ...

. Hamdawi managed to defeat the Turks, and then had their chief including another important member of their group captured. However, the Ghaznavids were never able to destroy the power of the Kakuyids, who managed to keep their domains as Ghaznavid vassals. In 1036/7, Hamdawi was repelled from Jibal by Muhammad, and was forced to withdraw to

Nishapur Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Ni ...

, which was then also under constant invasions by the Oghuz Turks. In 1038, the Oghuz Turks captured Nishapur, which forced its governor Abu'l-Fadl Suri and Hamdawi to flee to

Gurgan Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the northeast of the national capital Tehran, and some a ...

. During this period, Mas'ud I appointed Hamwudi as his chief advisor. After 1040/1, Hamdawi disappears from sources, and his fate remains unknown.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Sahl Hamdawi 11th-century deaths Year of birth unknown 11th-century Iranian people Ghaznavid viziers Ghaznavid generals Ghaznavid governors