ABSTRACT
Aziz ibn Muhammad al-Nasafi was born m the beginning of the thirteenth century in Nasaf, a town that was situated some four days travelling distance from Bukhara. This was the era for seeking knowledge, and the city of Bukhara was the centre of learning for it had achieved the reputation of being one of the great cities not only of the region, but of the Islamic world. Having captured the major cities of Transoxania, Chingiz Khan rested during the summer just outside of Nasafi's birthplace on the plains of Nasaf. The second Mongol invasion in fact turned into an occupation, Hulegu Khan being the first of the Il-Khan dynasty. One interesting point concerning religion under the Mongols is their favourable attitude towards Nestorian Christians. The displacement of Islam as the official religion of Iran and central Asia lasted until the reign of the Il-Khan Teguder, who converted to Islam and adopted the name Ahmad.
