(Abu Ali al-Hasan)
Persian statesman. Born c. 1020, died 1092.
Nizam al-Mulk's family had served with distinction under the Ghaznavid dynasty. After the fall of the Ghaznavids, he entered the service of the new Seljuk rulers, serving as advisor to Alp Arslan. When Alp Arslan seized power in 1063, Nizam al-Mulk became the top civil administrator of the Seljuk territories. He retained this exalted position under Alp Arslan's son and successor, Malik Shah (1055-1092), but was assassinated by hashishin in 1092.
In Islamic tradition, Nizam al-Mulk is presented as the epitome of the good administrator and politician. As a devout Sunni Muslim, Nizam al-Mulk founded several schools of Islamic theology. Toward the end of his life, he wrote a treatise on government (a speculum regis), the Siyasat-nameh ("Book of Government").