Nizam al-Mulk

Vizier of the Seljuk Empire who founded the Nizamiyya colleges and wrote the Siyasatnama.

Life

Khorasani official

Nizam al-Mulk came from a family of officials in Khorasan. He served the Seljuk sultans Alp Arslan and Malik Shah in turn, running the government for about 30 years.

Chief minister for 30 years

He built a well-ordered bureaucracy and fiscal system and implemented the iqta system of land grants for military service; he founded Nizamiyya madrasas in Baghdad, Nishapur, and elsewhere to train officials and scholars. He also wrote the Siyasatnama for the sultan, setting out the art of kingship.

Nizamiyya

In 1092 he was assassinated on his way to Baghdad, generally believed to be the work of the Assassins.

Legacy

Nizam al-Mulk is regarded as one of the most outstanding viziers of the Islamic world, and the college system he founded had a far-reaching influence.

Major works & achievements

• Siyasatnama

Did you know? Legend has it that he, the poet Omar Khayyam and Hassan-i Sabbah, founder of the Assassins, were schoolmates as boys; the story is widely told but not credible.

Key dates

• 1063Becomes chief minister
• 1067Nizamiyya of Baghdad completed
• 1072Serves Malik Shah
• 1092Assassinated