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Persian family,[1] Khalid ben Bermek, the first of the house that appears upon the scene of Arabian history, became Vizier and Minister of Finance to the founder of the Abbaside dynasty, Aboulabbas the Blood-shedder, and after serving his successor El Mensour in a like capacity, was appointed to the government of Mosul and Azerbijan, which post he held till his death. Aboul abbas was the first to institute the office of Vizier and Khalid was the earliest of the great ministers who ruled the immense dominions of the Khalifs with almost regal power. During his long tenure of office he practically governed the empire, the Khalifs of the house of Abbas taking little personal part in the burdensome task of administration. He appears to have shown the highest talents for government and was particularly successful in consolidating and setting in order the finances. It was under his direction that the city of Baghdad was built in the reign of El Mensour, when that prince elected to abandon the former capital of the Khalifs,
- ↑ Bermek, the father of Khalid, was a Magian of Khorassan and the officiating minister of the great fire-temple, the Noubehar, at Balkh, where his ancestors had long held the same office. (It is even stated by El Mesoudi that Bermek was the title, not the name, of the high-priest of the fire, but this statement does not appear to be supported.) As tenders of the sacred fire and guardians of the temple, the family ranked among the chief grandees of the realm, and according to one author (the poet Mohammed ben Munadhir), who speaks of the Barmecides as “the descendants of the kings of the house of Bermek,” it could lay claim to royal descent. Bermek is said to have had dealings with the later Ommiade Khalifs and to have stood high in their favour, but the first of the family to come into unequivocal prominence is his son Khalid.
