About Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī
Lived 839 – 936 (aged 96–97). Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī was a poet, literary scholar, singer and lute, known for Al-Muqtadir.
Abu'l-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar al-Barmakī al-Nadīm (839 – June/July 936), surnamed Jaḥẓa and al-Ṭunbūrī , was a descendant of the Barmakid family, and a well-known scholar, singer, poet, and courtier of his time.
He was reportedly born in 839, the grandson of Musa ibn Yahya and great-grandson of the famous Yahya al-Barmaki, the vizier of Harun al-Rashid. The historian Charles Pellat describes him as "a man of very varied culture, but little religion, of doubtful morals and repulsive appearance"; he was nicknamed by the Abbasid prince and poet Ibn al-Mu'tazz, on account of his bulging eyeballs. He nevertheless was a prominent member of the courtly society of his time, and appears in multiple anecdotes, associating with the grandees of the Abbasid Caliphate's court. Little of his work survives, apart from a few poems; most of them are known through a list in the 10th-century compendium al-Fihrist, and include treatises on astrology, lute-playing, cooking, and a biography of Caliph al-Mu'tamid. He died at Wasit in June/July 936.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī?
Iraqi poet
When was Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī born?
Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī was born in 839 in Abbasid Caliphate.
When did Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī die?
Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī died in 936 in Iraq, Wasit, Iraq.
What was Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī's occupation?
Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī was a poet, literary scholar, singer and lute.
What was Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī known for?
Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī was known for Al-Muqtadir.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī. https://biography.guide/ahmad-ibn-ja-far-jahzah-al-barmaki/
MLA: "Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ahmad-ibn-ja-far-jahzah-al-barmaki/.
Chicago: "Aḥmad ibn Jaʻfar Jaḥẓah al-Barmakī." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ahmad-ibn-ja-far-jahzah-al-barmaki/.
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