Details
Object numberG11/7
TitleSīrat al-Ustādh Jawdhar (“Biography of Ustādh Jawdhar”)
DescriptionAbū ‘Alī Manṣūr al-‘Azīzī al-Jawdharī (flourished 4th/10th century)
MS 200, copied in c. 19th century
A eunuch of Slavic origin, Ustādh Jawdhar (d. 363/973) served all four caliph Imams in Ifriqiya over a span of 60 years and was one of the most eminent statesmen of the early Fatimid period. His exemplary loyalty is evident in his sīra (biography) compiled by his private secretary (Abū ‘Alī Manṣūr al-‘Azīzī al-Jawdharī), which follows the stages of his life from his entering the service of the Fatimids until his final days.
During the reign of Caliph Imam al-Mu‘izz, Ustādh Jawdhar was responsible for conveying to the Imam letters and pleas addressed to him, which the Imam responded to with an indication of the advice to be conveyed to the correspondent, any relevant decisions and the manner of the correspondence. These directives presented in this biography reveal the intricacy and care with which the Imam attended to matters addressed to him.
[Source: Hamid Haji (ed. and tr.), Inside the Immaculate Portal: A History from Early Fatimid Archives; A new edition and English translation of Manṣūr al-ʻAzīzī al-Jawdharī’s biography of al-Ustādh Jawdhar, the Sīrat al-Ustādh Jawdhar (London: I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2012).]
MS 200, copied in c. 19th century
A eunuch of Slavic origin, Ustādh Jawdhar (d. 363/973) served all four caliph Imams in Ifriqiya over a span of 60 years and was one of the most eminent statesmen of the early Fatimid period. His exemplary loyalty is evident in his sīra (biography) compiled by his private secretary (Abū ‘Alī Manṣūr al-‘Azīzī al-Jawdharī), which follows the stages of his life from his entering the service of the Fatimids until his final days.
During the reign of Caliph Imam al-Mu‘izz, Ustādh Jawdhar was responsible for conveying to the Imam letters and pleas addressed to him, which the Imam responded to with an indication of the advice to be conveyed to the correspondent, any relevant decisions and the manner of the correspondence. These directives presented in this biography reveal the intricacy and care with which the Imam attended to matters addressed to him.
[Source: Hamid Haji (ed. and tr.), Inside the Immaculate Portal: A History from Early Fatimid Archives; A new edition and English translation of Manṣūr al-ʻAzīzī al-Jawdharī’s biography of al-Ustādh Jawdhar, the Sīrat al-Ustādh Jawdhar (London: I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2012).]