Lessons in history on governance

IN this millenarian commemoration of Nizam al-Mulk, who was born in 1018, it is apt to quote his work Siyasat-nameh.

It states that a leader “shall bring to pass that which concerns the advance of civilisation (umran), such as constructing underground channels, digging main canals, building bridges across great waters, rehabilitating villages and farms, raising fortifications, building new towns, and erecting lofty buildings and magnificent dwellings; he shall have inns built on the highways, and educational institutions for those who seek knowledge; for which infrastructure the leader will be renowned forever; he will gather the fruit of his good works in the hereafter, and blessings will be showered upon him.”