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Ja'far (died 803 C.E.)
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Ja'far, also called Giafar, Ja'far al-Barmarkad, and Ja'far the Barmecide, was the lover, brother-in-law and vizier of the caliph Harun al-Rashid. He and al-Rashid first met when al-Rashid was a youth and being tutored by Ja'far's father, Yahya. Ja'far himself was educated by Abu-Yusuf, a great Islamic jurist. Ja'far's family, the Barmakids, were a political powerful dynasty of Persian origin, whose founding ancestor had been a Buddhist priest in the city of Balkh in what is now Afghanistan, before his conversion to Islam. Upon al-Rashid's ascension to the caliphate, Ja'far became his vizier. He was entrusted with the education of the caliph's son, al-Mamun. In time, Ja'far married al-Rashid's sister, Abbase, without his permission, then ignored his friend's order to stay out of Abbase's bedchamber, eventually fathering two children by her. Together with reports of a plot by Yahya to seize the throne, these actions caused al-Rashid to turn on his old friend. Ja'far was executed, and his father and many other members of the Barmakid family were imprisoned and their wealth confiscated. While jealousy may have played some part in al-Rashid's actions, he more likely realized that Ja'far's marriage to Abbase could give him a legitimate claim to the throne in the event of a coup. The caliph was reacting less to Ja'far's amorous betrayal than to a political one. Despite the bloody end to their friendship, Ja'far and his caliph passed into legend as being great comrades. This legend was expressed in several of the Arabian Nights Tales, in which the caliph and Ja'far travel incognito amongst the subjects of the caliphate. Curiously, Ja'far's name was applied to the villian in the Walt Disney animated film adaptation of Aladdin, who in the original story has no name and is simply described as an Ethiopian magician. The name may or may not have been chosen in light of Ja'far's actual reputation as a traitor, rather than his legendary one as a faithful comrade. Links: Timeline of the Abbasid Dynasty History of Iran: The Barmecide Family of Wazirs
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