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EntityQ808354· pop 30· linked from 132 articles

Also known as Barmakid, Barmakid family, Baramika, Baramikah, Barmacides

The Barmakids ( Barmakiyân; al-Barāmikah), also spelled Barmecides, were an influential Iranian family from Balkh, where they were originally hereditary Buddhist leaders (in the Nawbahar monastery), and subsequently came to great political power under the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad. Khalid, the son of Barmak became the chief minister (vizier) of al-Saffah (), the first caliph of the Abbasid dynasty. His son Yahya aided Harun al-Rashid in capturing the throne and rose to power as the most powerful man in the Caliphate.

Key facts

Family.name
Barmakids
Family.native_name
برمکیان
Family.native_name_lang
fa
Family.image
Coinage of Musa Barmaki, Abbasid governor of Sindh (circa AH 218-221 AD 833-836). Citing al-Mu'tasim as Abu Imam Ishaq. Uncertain mint in Sindh.jpg
Family.image_size
300px
Family.caption
Coinage of Musa Barmaki, Abbasid governor of Sindh (circa AH 218-221 AD 833-836). Citing al-Mu'tasim as "Abu Imam Ishaq". Uncertain mint in Sindh.
Family.region
Balkh, Khorasan, Abbasid Caliphate
Family.traditions
Buddhism (originally), Islam (later)
Family.dissolution
Declined during Harun al-Rashid's reign
Family.titles
Vizier, Governor

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
family
Show 5 more facts
topic's main category
Category:Barmakids
ethnic group
Iranian peoples
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~12 min read

Encyclopedic overview

11 sections
Contents
  • Origins
  • Khalid al-Barmaki
  • Yahya ibn Khalid
  • al-Fadl and Ja'far
  • Influence under the early Abbasids
  • Loss of support at the Abbasid court and execution of Jafar
  • Legacy
  • Family tree
  • Notes
  • References
  • Sources

The Barmakids ( Barmakiyân; al-Barāmikah), also spelled Barmecides, were an influential Iranian family from Balkh, where they were originally hereditary Buddhist leaders (in the Nawbahar monastery), and subsequently came to great political power under the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad. Khalid, the son of Barmak became the chief minister (vizier) of al-Saffah (), the first caliph of the Abbasid dynasty. His son Yahya aided Harun al-Rashid in capturing the throne and rose to power as the most powerful man in the Caliphate.

The Barmakids were remarkable for their majesty, splendor and hospitality. They are mentioned in some stories of the One Thousand and One Nights.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Barmakids” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.