Remaking Mongol History, 1307–1313

Abstract

After his experience compiling a world history and composing various theological works, Rashid al-Din returned to the Blessed History of Ghazan and applied new ideas to the text and to its presentation. These included new ways to represent genealogical relationships, the inclusion of a series of illustrations, and a new imperative about the reproduction and preservation of the text. This chapter traces these changes, as well as a series of textual additions and modifications made to the dynastic history. Some of these modifications were the work of Rashid al-Din himself, while others were the product of early copyists and editors leaving their mark on the historical record. This chapter reconstructs the order of these modifications and demonstrates their impact on the historical record.