orig. Abū ʽAlī Ḥasan ibn ʽAlī
born с 1018/19, Ṭūs, Khorāsān, Iran
died Oct. 14, 1092, Nahāvand
Persian vizier of the Turkish Seljūq dynasty sultans.
He worked for the rulers of the Ghaznavid dynasty before serving Alp-Arslan as governor of Khorāsān. In 1063 he was made vizier, a position he occupied for 30 years, serving Alp-Arslan's son Malik-Shah from the latter's ascension. Believing that a ruler's power should be absolute and that the ruler should preserve the kingdom's stability and traditions, he recorded his views in the Seyāsat-nāmeh ("Book of Government"). He is seen as the quintessential vizier and as a staunch Sunnite Muslim. He promoted the madrasah as a centre of learning, partly to combat Shīʽite propaganda. He was murdered, likely by an Ismāʽīlī Assassin , after falling out of favour with Malik-Shah.