Ghazan, Mahmud

Ghazan, Mahmud

(born Nov. 5, 1271, Abaskun, Iran—died May 11, 1304) Most prominent leader of the Mongol Il-Khanid dynasty in Persia. In 1284 his father, the ruler Arghun, made him viceroy of northeastern Persia, where he defended the frontier against the Chagatai Mongols. In 1295 he converted from Buddhism to Islam before taking the throne. He successfully fought his family's enemy, the Mamluk dynasty, in Syria, defeating their army at Hims. The Mamluks reoccupied Syria on his departure. Despite three more attempts to regain the city, he was unable to do so. He spoke many languages and was said to have been learned in a variety of fields. He commissioned his famous vizier, Rashid al-Din, to compose a history of the Mongols, which was later expanded to include information on all those with whom the Mongols had come in contact.