The Ta'rikh-i-Jahan-Gusha or History of the World-Conqueror is one of the most valuable sources for the life of Chingiz Khan and the establishment of the Mongol Empire. The Juwaynis, an established secretarial family of North-East Persia, made the transition to Mongol service and long prospered in it. 'Ata Malik himself was Governor of Baghdad for many years and died in 1283, shortly before the family's disastrous fall from favour. His history was conceived in 1252 or 1253, when he was at the distant Mongol capital, Karakorum, and probably completed in about 1260. In addition to written sources he had available his own and his family's first-hand knowledge of events and information from the Mongols themselves. Its elaborate style long contributed to its popularity. Qazwini's critical edition, based on the good early manuscripts, is still standard. Persian text with introduction, notes and indices.
