Persian Books from Mongol Baghdad: A Survey of Manuscript Evidence

This article explores the presence of Persian literary activity in Baghdad under Mongol rule. It surveys surviving Persian manuscripts produced in Baghdad before, during, and after the Mongol conquest, highlighting their diversity in literary genre, authorship and scribal habits present in these codices. While some evidence points to isolated instances of Persian manuscript production before the conquest, the study shows that Persian literary activity significantly increased under Ilkhanid rule. The article emphasises the role of Mongol patronage and the integration of Persian-speaking elites into Baghdad’s administration as key factors in this shift. It also considers the role of institutions such as madrasas in sustaining manuscript production in Persian alongside Arabic. Despite the profound disruption caused by the conquest, the manuscript record suggests that Baghdad’s intellectual life recovered and was reshaped within the broader cultural and political networks of the Mongol Empire. Ultimately, the article argues that while Arabic remained the dominant scholarly language, Persian emerged as a flourishing medium of literary and intellectual expression, reflecting the city’s incorporation into an increasingly Persianate cultural sphere under Mongol rule.