Note on the Invisible East collection Abbreviations Editor''s and translator''s introduction Notes on the translation and annotations Translated text of Akhbar-i Barmakiyan (The Accounts of the Barmakids) Introduction Story 1: Barmak''s meeting with Abd al-Malik b. Marwan; his son Khalid and the construction of a new palace in Baghdad Story 2: Khalid''s mentorship of al-Mahdi and the battle with the Daylamites Story 3: Yaya''s illness and the Christian doctor from Fars Story 4: Yaya and the petitioners Story 5: Fal''s generous acts towards ali al-Anari Story 6: The love affair of Jafar and Abbasa Story 7: Fal b. Yaya and the Sindi visitor Story 8: Fal''s squabble with his secretary, and his father''s reaction Story 9: The faultless house of Fal Story 10: Yaya and Fal in prison without firewood Story 11: Harun''s dilemma: to destroy the Barmakids or not Story 12: Harun''s remorse and al-Fal b. al-Rabi''s poor advice Story 13: Jafar, the poet ari al-Ghawani and the courtesan Rayana Story 14: Yaya saves Manur b. Ziyad''s life Story 15: Jafar''s vitiligo and Yaya''s confirmation of his filial piety Story 16: Jafar''s party and Abd al-Malik al-Hashimi''s requests Story 17: Yaya and the petitioner Amad b. Abi Khalid al-Awal Story 18: Fal saves the secretary Musayyib b. Qasim''s life Story 19: Muadh b. arb''s forgery brings friendship to Yaya and his rival Story 20: Yaya saves Amad from his beautiful but conniving wife Story 21: Fal interrupts his drinking and saves the noble man Khalil al-Kindi Story 22: Jafar convinces the caliph to restore Said b.

Salam Story 23: Yaya builds a grand house for Isaq b. Ibrahim al-Mawili Story 24: Jafar''s skill at judging people''s petitions on behalf of the caliph Story 25: Jafar resolves an intractable legal case from Basra Story 26: Ali b. isa b. Mahan''s ruinous rule and Harun''s remorse Story 27: Fal restores Yaya b. Muadh''s wealth and prestige Story 28: Fal fears the fires of hell while taking a hot bath Story 29: Fal changes the life of a youth on his wedding day Story 30: al-Jai''s endorsement of Jafar''s erudition Story 31: Harun''s acrimony and his obstinate suppression of the Barmakids'' legacy Story 32: Ali b. Hisham''s stinginess towards his teacher Isaq al-Mawili Story 33: An Abbasid family member asks Fal for a loan Story 34: A youth doubts the truth of the accounts about the Barmakids'' generosity Story 35: Fal corrects his error by reinstating the commander of Khurasan Story 36: The loyalty of Jafar''s Byzantine slave in defiance of Harun''s ban Story 37: The astrologers'' prediction of Yaya''s disgrace Story 38: Yaya and the blind fortune teller Abu Yaqub Story 39: The impertinent poet who became Fal''s most trusted companion Story 40: Harun breaks his oath to protect Jafar Story 41: Yaya''s plea for advice on how to save his family Story 42: The Barmakids'' kindness to others while mourning their own demise Story 43: Yaya''s last-ditch attempt to save the Barmakids Story 44: Harun''s greed and desire for the Barmakids'' estate Story 45: Jafar explains his expenditures on charity and beauty Story 46: Jafar''s astrological predictions of his misfortune Story 47: Jafar and the eloquent beggar Story 48: Yaya counsels Jafar on respecting one''s neighbours Story 49: Fal''s helps the poor doctor who treated him in prison Story 50: Abu al-asan recites accounts about the Barmakids to Fal in prison Story 51: The man who called the Barmakids heretics and whom Fal forgave Story 52: The Barmakid generosity extends to their knowledge and wisdom Story 53: Harun releases Yaya and his family on the way to al-Raqqa Story 54: An Arab commander mourns Jafar''s death and Harun writes to the Barmakid women Story 55: Jafar''s brothers mourn his death, Harun asks the guards to be good to the Barmakids and an uncle disregards their plight Story 56: Harun aids some members of the Barmakid family and punishes others Story 57: Harun''s suspicions and the integrity of Yaya and Fal in prison Story 58: A few short anecdotes about Yaya''s generosity Story 59: Yaya and the ascetic, and his abandonment of astrology Story 60: Yaya vows to abondon his faith in omens Story 61: Yaya''s rancid sweets and the petitioners who had to wait Story 62: The superiority of Jafar in debating al-Fal b. al-Rabi Story 63: Jafar judges petitioners'' requests at the request of the caliph Story 64: The caliph and Jafar trade places to teach arith a lesson Story 65: Jafar hears a song about death when his executioner arrives Story 66: Harun''s and Fal''s identical horoscopes, Harun''s wish to reinstate Fal as vizier and Harun''s death Story 67: The loyalty of Jafar towards Harun and of isa b. Shah Firuz towards Jafar Story 68: The restoration of the Barmakids by the caliphs Amin and al-Mamun Story 69: Yaya helps Fal donate money to all the poor people of Baghdad Story 70: Al-Mamun revives the Barmakids'' glory in a new generation Appendices Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo credits Index.