Jafar ibn Yahya Barmaki or Jafar al-Barmaki (, , Jafar bin yaḥyā) (767–803), also called Aba-Fadl, was a Persian

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 the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

caliph

Harun al-Rashid Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (), or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd (), was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 unti ...

, succeeding his father ( Yahya ibn Khalid) in that position. He was a member of the influential Barmakid family, formerly

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

leaders of the Nava Vihara monastery. He was executed in 803 at the orders of

. He had a reputation as a patron of

the sciences ''The Sciences'' was a magazine published from 1961 to 2001 by the New York Academy of Sciences. Each issue contained articles that discussed science issues with cultural relevance, illustrated with fine art and an occasional cartoon. The perio ...

, and did much to introduce Indian science into

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. He was credited with convincing the caliph to open a

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

in Baghdad, the secret of

papermaking Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is Pulp and paper industry, made using industrial machinery, while handmade pape ...

having been obtained from Tang Chinese prisoners at the

Battle of Talas The Battle of Talas (; ) was an armed confrontation between the Abbasid Caliphate along with the Tibetan Empire against the Tang dynasty in 751. In July of that year, the Tang and Abbasid armies clashed at the Talas River over control of the r ...

(in present-day

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

) in 751.

In fiction

Jafar also appears (under the name of Giafar in most translations) along with Harun al-Rashid in several ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...

'' tales, often acting as a protagonist. In "

The Three Apples The Three Apples (), or The Tale of the Murdered Woman (), is a story contained in the ''One Thousand and One Nights'' collection (also known as the "Arabian Nights"). It is a first-level story, being told by Scheherazade herself, and contains one ...

" for example, Jafar is tasked with solving a murder, whereas in " The Tale of Attaf", Jafar is more of an adventurer. More recent media inspired by the ''Arabian Nights'' have portrayed Jafar as both a villain and a sorcerer: * In the 1940 version of '' The Thief of Bagdad'',

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt ( , ; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German and British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man ...

plays the grand vizier Jaffar, a sorcerer who overthrows the king and tries to seduce the princess. * In the film '' The Golden Blade'' (1952), Harun al-Rashid (

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

) battles Jafar ( George Macready), vizier to the caliph of Baghdad who tries to usurp the throne. *In the book '' The Grand Vizier of the Night'' (1981) by Catherine Hermary-Vieille, he is the Caliph Harun al-Rashid's lover. * In 1989 the video game ''

Prince of Persia ''Prince of Persia'' is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is centered around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first two ga ...

'' featured a scheming magician named Jaffar who seized power from the Sultan and tried to force the Princess to marry him. In the later ''Prince of Persia'' games, an unnamed 'Vizier' is the main

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

and is based on the Jaffar character from the original game. * In 1992 the Disney film ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

'' featured an evil vizier and sorcerer called Jafar, who is a

composite character In a work of media adapted from a real or fictional narrative, a composite character is a character based on more than one individual from the story. It is an example of dramatic license. Examples Film *'' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939): Glinda, Goo ...

of an (unnamed) vizier and an evil magician from the original ''

'' tale. He also appeared in 2019's

* In the Japanese manga of '' Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic'', Jafar is a young general working under Sinbad, the king of Sindria. * In the historical series The Imam during 2017, Jafar is portrayed by Muhannad Qutaisy.

Family tree

References

External links

How Greek Science passed to the Arabs
with some references to Jafar {{DEFAULTSORT:Jafar Ibn Yahya 767 births 803 deaths One Thousand and One Nights characters Barmakids 9th-century executions by the Abbasid Caliphate 8th-century Iranian people 9th-century Iranian people 8th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate 9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate Viziers of the Abbasid Caliphate 8th-century government officials 9th-century government officials

In fiction

Family tree

See also

References

External links