Ja'far ibn Yahya

Who was Ja'far ibn Yahya?

Ja'far ibn Yahya Barmaki, Jafar al-Barmaki was the son of a Bactrian vizier of the Arab Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid and from whom he inherited that position. He was a member of the influential Barmakids family. He was beheaded in 803 for allegedly having an affair with Harun al-Rashid's sister Abassa, although historical sources remain unclear about the real cause of Jafar's death and the fall of the Barmakids.

He had a reputation as a patron of the sciences, and did much to introduce Greek science into Baghdad, attracting scholars from the nearby Academy of Gundishapur to help translate Persian works into Arabic. He was also credited with convincing the caliph to open a paper mill in Baghdad, the secret of papermaking had been obtained from Chinese prisoners at the Battle of Talas, in present day Kyrgyzstan in 751.