Zahiriddin Nasr Muhammad Aufi
Encyclopedia
Sadiduddin Muhammad Aufi (1171-124سدید الدین محمد عوفی) (2) was a Persian historian, scientist, and author.
, Aufi grew up during the apex of the Islamic Golden Age
, and spent many years traveling, exploring, and lecturing to the common folk and the royalty alike in Delhi
, Khorasan
, Khwarizm, Samarkand
, Merv
, Neishaboor, Sistan
and Ghaznayn.
He spent most of his time at the courts of Ghaurid
kings. He dedicated his first grand work Lubab ul-Albab
, which consisted of poems by kings and poets of ancient times, to the vizier of the Ghaurid
Amir Nasiriddin Ghobajeh (ناصر الدین قباجه) (d 1227).
His second magnum opus Jawami ul-Hikayat
was written under the name of the Vizier of the Ghurid Amir of Delhi
. He lived during the reign of Shamsuddin Iltutmish (Altamash) (r. 1211–1236) who was the third Muslim Turkic sultan of the Sultanate of Delhi, and the book is dedicated to his minister, Nizam-ul-Mulk Muhammad, son of Abu Sa'id Junaidi.
These two are the only remaining works from him today. His works on the History of Turkistani Lords, and his book on the properties of matter, both referenced elsewhere, do not exist anymore. A small fragment of his Madayih al-Sultan remains.
Modern descendants of Aufi can be found in Oman, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Biography
Born in BukharaBukhara
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...
, Aufi grew up during the apex of the Islamic Golden Age
Islamic Golden Age
During the Islamic Golden Age philosophers, scientists and engineers of the Islamic world contributed enormously to technology and culture, both by preserving earlier traditions and by adding their own inventions and innovations...
, and spent many years traveling, exploring, and lecturing to the common folk and the royalty alike in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, Khwarizm, Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, Merv
Merv
Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of...
, Neishaboor, Sistan
Sistan
Sīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
and Ghaznayn.
He spent most of his time at the courts of Ghaurid
Ghurids
The Ghurids or Ghorids were a medieval Muslim dynasty of Iranian origin that ruled during the 12th and 13th centuries in Khorasan. At its zenith, their empire, centred at Ghōr , stretched over an area that included the whole of modern Afghanistan, the eastern parts of Iran and the northern section...
kings. He dedicated his first grand work Lubab ul-Albab
Lubab ul-Albab
Lubab ul-Albab is a famous anthology written by Zahiriddin Nasr Muhammad Aufi in the early 13th century in eastern Persia.It is considered as the oldest extant biographical work in Persian literature and the most important collection of biographies of Persian poets.As an example of the diversity...
, which consisted of poems by kings and poets of ancient times, to the vizier of the Ghaurid
Ghurids
The Ghurids or Ghorids were a medieval Muslim dynasty of Iranian origin that ruled during the 12th and 13th centuries in Khorasan. At its zenith, their empire, centred at Ghōr , stretched over an area that included the whole of modern Afghanistan, the eastern parts of Iran and the northern section...
Amir Nasiriddin Ghobajeh (ناصر الدین قباجه) (d 1227).
His second magnum opus Jawami ul-Hikayat
Jawami ul-Hikayat
Jawāmi ul-Hikāyāt wa Lawāmi' ul-Riwāyāt is a famous collection of Persian anecdotes written in the early 13th century. It is written by Zahiriddin Nasr Muhammad Aufi, who lived during the reign of Shamsuddin Iltutmish Jawāmi ul-Hikāyāt wa Lawāmi' ul-Riwāyāt (also transcribed Djami al-Hikayat and...
was written under the name of the Vizier of the Ghurid Amir of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. He lived during the reign of Shamsuddin Iltutmish (Altamash) (r. 1211–1236) who was the third Muslim Turkic sultan of the Sultanate of Delhi, and the book is dedicated to his minister, Nizam-ul-Mulk Muhammad, son of Abu Sa'id Junaidi.
These two are the only remaining works from him today. His works on the History of Turkistani Lords, and his book on the properties of matter, both referenced elsewhere, do not exist anymore. A small fragment of his Madayih al-Sultan remains.
Modern descendants of Aufi can be found in Oman, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.