The working title for this festschrift was ‘Papers for the Padishah’. It wasdiscarded for the sake of propriety as well as the well-known decree thatall academic books must include a colon, a decree which some would say isworthy of Chinggis Khan himself. Nonetheless, I believe it is fair toconsider David O. Morgan the Padishah of the study of the Mongol Empire.David, ever humble, would simply wave this title away and offer anotherscholar the throne. In this sense, David is like Ogodei Khan—generous,well-liked by all, and he laid much of the modern foundations for the studyof the Mongols. Yet, David, like Ghazan Khan, always kept one foot firmly inIranian Studies as well, thus giving him claim to the title of Padishah.David's similarity to the Mongols does not end there, however, as he carvedhis own intellectual empire.