Mirkhond
Encyclopedia
Mīr-Khvānd, Moḥammad ibn Khvāndshāh ibn Maḥmūd (written also as Mīr-Khvwānd, Mirkhond, and other variants; 1433/1434–1498) was a noted Persian-language historian of the fifteenth century. Born in 1433 in Bukhārā
, present-day Uzbekistan
, the son of a pious man belonging to an old Bukhāran family of sayyid
s, or direct descendants of Muḥammad, Mīr-Khvvānd grew up and died in Balkh
. From his early youth he applied himself to historical studies and literature in general.
In Herāt
, Afghanistan
, where Mīr-Khvvānd spent the greater part of his life, he gained the favor of that famous patron of letters, Mīr ʿAlī-Shīr Navāʾī (1440–1501), who served his old schoolfellow, the reigning sultan
Ḥosayn Bāyqarā
(r. 1469–1506), the last Tīmūrid ruler in Persia, first as keeper of the seal, afterwards as governor of Jurjan. At the request of Mīr ʿAlī-Shīr, himself a distinguished statesman and writer, Mīr-Khvvānd began about 1474, in the quiet convent of Khilashyah, which his patron had founded in Herāt as a house of retreat for literary men of merit, his great work on universal history
, the Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ (روضة الصفا, ‘garden of purity’). He made little attempt at a critical examination of historical traditions, and wrote in a flowery and often bombastic style, but in spite of this drawback, Mīr-Khvvānd's Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ remains one of the most marvelous achievements in literature. It comprises seven large volumes and a geographical appendix; but the seventh volume, the history of the sultan Ḥosayn, together with a short account of some later events down to 1523, cannot have been written by Mīr-Khvvānd himself, who died in 1498. He may have compiled the preface, but it was his grandson, the historian Khvānd-Amīr (1475–1534), who continued the main portion of this volume and to whom also a part of the appendix must be ascribed.
Owing to its popularity, the Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ has undergone several editions and translations, including a French translation by Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy
in 1793, a Persian edition published in Paris in 1843 (as Histoire des Sassanides par Mirkhond), and an English translation by Edward Rehatsek
in four volumes from 1891–1894 (available in full text from Google Books and Internet Archive
).
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, present-day Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, the son of a pious man belonging to an old Bukhāran family of sayyid
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
s, or direct descendants of Muḥammad, Mīr-Khvvānd grew up and died in Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
. From his early youth he applied himself to historical studies and literature in general.
In Herāt
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, where Mīr-Khvvānd spent the greater part of his life, he gained the favor of that famous patron of letters, Mīr ʿAlī-Shīr Navāʾī (1440–1501), who served his old schoolfellow, the reigning sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Ḥosayn Bāyqarā
Husayn Bayqarah
Husayn Bayqarah was a Timurid ruler of Herat from 1469 to 1506, with a brief interruption in 1470. His father was Mansur, a great-grandson of Timur...
(r. 1469–1506), the last Tīmūrid ruler in Persia, first as keeper of the seal, afterwards as governor of Jurjan. At the request of Mīr ʿAlī-Shīr, himself a distinguished statesman and writer, Mīr-Khvvānd began about 1474, in the quiet convent of Khilashyah, which his patron had founded in Herāt as a house of retreat for literary men of merit, his great work on universal history
Universal history
Universal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
, the Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ (روضة الصفا, ‘garden of purity’). He made little attempt at a critical examination of historical traditions, and wrote in a flowery and often bombastic style, but in spite of this drawback, Mīr-Khvvānd's Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ remains one of the most marvelous achievements in literature. It comprises seven large volumes and a geographical appendix; but the seventh volume, the history of the sultan Ḥosayn, together with a short account of some later events down to 1523, cannot have been written by Mīr-Khvvānd himself, who died in 1498. He may have compiled the preface, but it was his grandson, the historian Khvānd-Amīr (1475–1534), who continued the main portion of this volume and to whom also a part of the appendix must be ascribed.
Owing to its popularity, the Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ has undergone several editions and translations, including a French translation by Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy
Silvestre de Sacy
Antoine Isaac, Baron Silvestre de Sacy , was a French linguist and orientalist. His son, Ustazade Silvestre de Sacy, became a journalist.-Early life:...
in 1793, a Persian edition published in Paris in 1843 (as Histoire des Sassanides par Mirkhond), and an English translation by Edward Rehatsek
Edward Rehatsek
Edward Rehatsek was an Orientalist and translator of several works of Islamic literature including the Gulistan or Rose Garden of Saadi, Ibn Ishaq’s Sirah Rasul Allah or The Life of Muhammad: Apostle of Allah, and the Rauza-tus-Safa or The Gardens of Purity...
in four volumes from 1891–1894 (available in full text from Google Books and Internet Archive
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
).