Abu Sulayman Banakati
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Abu Sulayman Banakati | |
|---|---|
 Manuscript of the Opuscula nonnulla orientalia, written in Latin by the German sinologist Andreas Müller. Banakati's Tarikh-i Banakati is included in the work. | |
| Died | 1330 |
| Occupation | Historian, poet |
| Language | Persian |
| Notable works | Tarikh-i Banakati |
| Relatives | Taj al-Din Abu al-Fadl Banakati (father) Nizam al-Din Ali Banakati (brother) |
Abu Sulayman Banakati (Persian: ابوسلیمان بناکتی; died 1330), was a historian and poet, who lived during the late Ilkhanate era. He is principally known for his Persian world history book, the Rawdat uli al-albab fi maʿrifat al-tawarikh wa al-ansab, better known as Tarikh-i Banakati.
Banakati was also associated with the court of the Ilkhanate. He himself reported that he served as the chief poet at the court of the Ilkhanid ruler Ghazan (r. 1295–1304) in 1302.
Of Persian ancestry, Banakati was born in Banakat (later known as Shahrukhiya), a town in Transoxiana. His laqab (honorific name) was Fakhr al-Din Banakati. Belonging to a family of scholars, he was the son of the religious scholar Taj al-Din Abu al-Fadl Banakati, who is notable for writing a commentary on the masabih al-Sunnah by al-Baghawi (died 1122), known as the Kitab al-maysur. Banakati had a brother named Nizam al-Din Ali Banakati, who was a prominent Sufi. Banakati was a well-read scholar and skilled poet; according to his own reports, he served as the chief poet at the court of the Ilkhanid ruler Ghazan (r. 1295–1304) in 1302.[1] During the summer of that year, Banakati was given the title of malik al-shuʿara (King of Poets) by Ghazan.[2] Banakati reported that he became chief poet due to his brother being the previous holder of the office.[3] Al-Baghdadi credited Banakati with the composition of a diwan (collection of poems).[1] A sample of Banakati's poetry is mentioned in the Tadhkirat al-shu'ara ("Memorial of poets"), a biographical dictionary written by Dawlatshah Samarqandi (died 1495/1507).[4][1] Banakati died in 1330.[1]