Rashīd al-Dīn: Agent and mediator of cultural exchanges in Ilkhanid Iran

Rashīd al-Dīn (1274–1318), physician and powerful minister at the court of the Ilkhans, was a key figure in the cosmopolitan milieu in Iran under Mongol rule. He set up an area in the vicinity of the court where philosophers, doctors, astronomers and historians from different parts of Eurasia lived together, exchanged ideas and produced books. He was himself involved in collecting, collating and editing these materials, and the substantial oeuvre that resulted is a gold-mine for anyone studying the transmission of knowledge across cultures. By bringing together contributions from the fields of the history of religion, medicine, science and art, this book examines the cultural dynamics of Rashīd al-Dīn’s circle. It addresses questions such as: How were different or conflicting perceptions mediated? What were Rashīd al-Dīn’s aims in gathering information about different religions and societies? To what extent does Rashīd al-Dīn’s intellectual contribution represent something new and different from its individual components?