Tarikh-i Bayhaqi
Author | Abul-Fazl Bayhaqi |
---|---|
Original title | تاریخ بیهقی |
Country | Ghaznavid Empire |
Language | Persian of Ghazni |
Subject | History |
Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī (literally "Bayhaqi's History") is a history book written by Abul-Fazl Bayhaqi, in Persian, in the 11th century CE.[1] It is the most important source on the history of the Ghaznavid Empire. It is also of literary value due to its unique style of narration.
Names
Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī (Persian: تاریخ بیهقی, literally Bayhaqi's History) has been referred to by various names, including Tārīkh-i Nāsirī (تاریخ ناصری, Nasiri's History), Tārīkh-i Masʿūdī (تاریخ مسعودی, Mas'udi's History), Tārīkh-i Āl-i Nāsir (تاریخ آل ناصر, History of the House of Nasir), Tārīkh-i Āl-i Sabuktagīn (تاریخ آل سبکتگین, History of the House of Sabuktigin), Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh (جامع التواریخ, Compendium of Chronicles), Jāmiʿ fī Tārīkh-i Sabuktagīn (جامع فی تاریخ سبکتگین, Compendium on Chronicles of Sabuktigin), and the Mujalladāt (مجلدات, The Volumes),[2][3]
Content
The work is believed to have consisted of thirty books, of which only six books remain.[4] The main topic of the remaining books is the reign of Mas'ud I, sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire.[5] In addition to reporting political events, Tarikh-e Bayhaqi reports on geographical places and on the history of the Persian literature by mentioning notable writers and poets of the time. It is also well known for its rich use of language.
K. Allin Luther compared the epistemology of Bayhaqi's "History" to later Seljuq historians and advices a rhetorical approach to the Tarikh-i Bayhaqi. Marilyn Waldman also recommends a rhetorical approach through speech act theory, yet does not give a comprehensive break down of the text. Julie Scott Meisami also points to the analytical nature of the "History" and places Bayhaqi among the historians of the Islamic renaissance.[6]
The book is praised for its cinematic narration.[7] It is also compared to a historical novel.[8]
References
- ↑ Truths and Lies: Irony and Intrigue in the Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī, Soheila Amirsoleimani, Iranian Studies, Vol. 32, No. 2, The Uses of Guile: Literary and Historical Moments (Spring, 1999), 243.
- ↑ Abu'l Fazl Bayhaqi, The A to Z of the United Nations, (Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2009), 59.
- ↑ Tarikh-i Bayhaqi, edited by Ali Akbar Fayyaz, the introduction
- ↑ Abu 'L-fadl Al-Bayhaqi, Louise Marlow, Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia, Ed. Josef W. Meri, (Taylor & Francis Group, 2008), 8.
- ↑ Truths and Lies: Irony and Intrigue in the Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī, Soheila Amirsoleimani, 244.
- ↑ Truths and Lies: Irony and Intrigue in the Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī, Soheila Amirsoleimani, 244-245.
- ↑ http://www.irjabs.com/files_site/paperlist/r_905_130610215924.pdf
- ↑ http://www.jofamericanscience.org/journals/am-sci/am0804/105_9025am0804_792_794.pdf