Ata-Malik Juvayni

• Name — Ata-Malik Juvayni • Native Name — عطاملک جوینی • Born — 1226 • Died — 5 March 1283 • Place of death — Mughan, Ilkhanate • Resting Place — Charandab Cemetery, Tabriz • Office — Governor of Baghdad • Term Start — 1259 • Term End — 1283 • Predecessor — Guo Kan • Successor — Sharaf al-Din Harun Juvayni • Allegiance — Mongol Empire Ilkhanate • Father — Baha al-Din Muhammad Juvayni • Relations — Shams al-Din Juvayni (younger brother) Sharaf al-Din Harun Juvayni (nephew) • Children — Mansur Ismatuddin

Born in 1226, Ata-Malik belonged to the Persian Juvayni family, whose history of administrative and public service goes back to the Seljuk era. Both his grandfather and his father, Baha al-Din, had held the post of sahib-divan or Minister of Finance for Muhammad Jalal al-Din and Ögedei Khan, respectively. Baha al-Din also acted as deputy c. 1246 for his immediate superior, the emir Arghun Aqa, in which role he oversaw a large area, including the Kingdom of Georgia.

Just like his predecessors, Ata-Malik became an important state official. He visited the Mongol capital of Karakorum twice, beginning his history of the Mongols conquests on one such visit (c. 1252–53). He was with Ilkhan Hulagu in the 1256 campaign at the taking of Alamut, where he selected many 'choice books' from the famous Alamut library for his own purposes and burnt the books that he did not like. He was responsible for saving part of its celebrated library. He had also accompanied Hulagu during the sack of Baghdad in 1258, and the next year was appointed governor of Baghdad, Lower Mesopotamia, and Khuzistan. Around 1282, Ata-Malik attended a Mongol quriltai, or assembly, held in the Ala-Taq pastures northeast of Lake Van. He died the following year in Mughan. Ata-Malik was survived by at least one son, Mansur (died 1293) and a daughter who became the wife of the Sufi shaykh Sadr al-Din Ibrahim Hamuwayi, who played a key role in converting the later Ilkhanate ruler Ghazan to Islam. According to Tarikh-i Uljaytu by Abu al-Qasim Kashani, this daughter was named Ismatuddin and she died in Maragha, August 1306.

Ata-Malik's brother was the powerful Shams al-Din Mohammad Sahib-Divan, who had served as Minister of Finance under Hulagu and Abaqa Khan. A skillful leader in his own right, Shams al-Din also had influential in-laws: his wife Khoshak was the daughter of Avag Mkhargrdzeli, Lord High Constable of Georgia, and Gvantsa, a noblewoman who went on to become queen of Georgia.