The Sea of Chronicles (Mu al-tavrkh)

330 Pages·2020·2.155 MB·English

by  Mehrdad Fallahzadeh, Forogh Hashabeiky

TheSeaofChronicles(Muḥīṭal-tavārīkh)
Studies in
Persian Cultural History
Editors
CharlesMelville(CambridgeUniversity)
GabriellevandenBerg(LeidenUniversity)
SunilSharma(BostonUniversity)
volume 17
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/spch
The Sea of Chronicles
(Muḥīṭ al-tavārīkh)
By
MuḥammadAmīnb.MīrzāMuḥammadZamān
Bukhārī(Ṣūfīyānī)
TranslatedandAnnotatedby
MehrdadFallahzadeh
ForoghHashabeiky
LEIDEN | BOSTON
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Amīn,Muḥammad,active17thcentury.|Fallahzadeh,Mehrdad,translator.
|Hashabeiky,Forogh,translator.
Title:Theseaofchronicles(muḥīṭal-tavārīkh)/byMuḥammadAmīnb.Mīrzā
MuḥammadZamānBukhārī(Ṣūfīyānī);translatedandannotatedbyMehrdad
Fallahzadeh,ForoghHashabeiky
Othertitles:Muḥīṭal-tavārīkh.Selections.English|Seaofchronicles
Description:Leiden;Boston:Brill,[2020]|Series:StudiesinPersiancultural
history,2210-3554;vol.17|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2019042419(print)|LCCN2019042420(ebook)|
ISBN9789004415256(hardback)|ISBN9789004415287(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Asia,Central–History–Earlyworksto1800.
Classification:LCC DS329.4.A52132020(print)|LCC DS329.4(ebook)|
DDC958/.03–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2019042419
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2019042420
TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill‑typeface.
ISSN2210-3554
ISBN978-90-04-41525-6(hardback)
ISBN978-90-04-41528-7(e-book)
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Contents
TheTranslators’Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiv
Glossary xv
Map xx
AnnotatedTranslationofTheSeaofChronicles(Muḥīṭ
al-tavārīkh)
[Preface] 3
InpraiseofthefortuneofSubḥānī (divine)shadowandtheriseofthat
Jam-likekingtothepositionoftheroyalthrone 5
Chapter9 16
Ontheemperor,theworld-conqueror,theaxisofthetruthandfaith,Amīr
TīmūrGūrkān 16
OntheruleofthemostnobleMuʿīnal-DīnShāhrukhMīrzāb.
Ṣāḥib-Qirān 33
OnthedisagreementbetweenMīrzāUlughBaygandMīrzāʿAbdal-Laṭīfand
theassassinationofthatexcellentnaturedking[i.e.,UlughBayg]byhisown
wretchedson 40
OnAbūl-QāsimBāburMīrzāthesonofBāysunghurBahādur 44
OnʿAbdallāhMīrzāb.IbrāhīmMīrzāb.ShāhrukhBahādur 48
Onthehonourofthroneandkingship,MīrzāMīrānShāhb.AmīrTīmūr
Gūrkān 48
OntheṢāḥib-QirānII 55
Ontheuniquemannersandcharacteroftheking,whosecommandsallobey,
thedignityofkingdomandfaith,Abūl-KhayrKhānandhisgreat,eminent,
andvictorioussonswhoascendedtothethronewiththeassistanceof
God 77
OnMuḥammadKhānShaybānī’saccessiontothethroneofthedomainand
theworld 80
OnʿUbaydallāhKhānb.MaḥmūdSulṭānb.ShāhBudāghSulṭānb.Abūl-
Khayrwhoindependentlybecamethekhan,andspreadthehopeforjustice
andgenerosityallovertheworld 82
OnʿAbdal-ʿAzīzKhānb.ʿUbaydallāhKhān 87
OnSuyūnjMuḥammadSulṭān 88
vi contents
OnPīrMuḥammadKhānb.JānīBaygKhān 89
OnʿAbdallāhKhān’sblessedbirthandhisrisetopower 95
ThisisaTreatiseinExplanationoftheScienceofMusic 115
OnʿAbdal-MuʾminKhān’saccessiontothethroneofBukhārā 144
OnImāmQulīKhān’saccessiontothethroneofBukhārā,thedāral-amānī
[abodeofsafety] 145
OnSayyidNadirMuḥammadKhān’saccession[tothethrone]inthedomeof
Islam,Balkh 148
OntheaccessionofHisMajesty,ʿAbdal-ʿAzīzKhānb.NadirMuḥammad
KhāninKhujandand[on]thisnewsreachingNadirMuḥammadKhānin
Nasafandhisabandonmentofruleandhisdeparturefrom[thecity] 151
Ontheentranceofhisvictoriousmajestyandmagnificentandgreatking
SubḥānQulīMuḥammadKhānintothecity[Bukhārā]andascendingtothe
throneofruleandfortuneindependentlybythefavourofmightyGod 162
Chapter10 164
OntheblessedaccessionofHisMajesty,thegloriousandsovereignkhan,to
thethroneoftheexcellentBukhārā 164
OnAnūshaKhvārazmī’srevoltandrebellion 167
OnAnūshaUrganjī’ssettingoutforthesecondtimetowardstheexcellent
Bukhārāinordertocaptureit,andreturningdefeatedanddespairing 170
OnAnūshaKhānKhvārazmī’scomingathirdtimewithevilintentionstothe
blessedtombofthekhvājaoftheworld,KhvājaʿAbdallāhGhijduvānī,onthe
seventeenthofJumādīl-ākhiroftheyearonethousandninety-six[21May
1685] 171
OnKhānUrganjī’sdispatchingofaletterofpromisesandthreatstoKhushīka
BīandanumberfightersinthefortressofDabūsī-shāh 172
OnthearrivalofHisMajesty,thegoodnatured,whosestirrupsarethe
crescentmoon,toKarmīnaandMīyānkālwithawell-equippedarmy 173
OnHisMajesty,thekhan,settingofftowardsBalkhtopunishṢadīq
Sulṭān 176
OnṢadīqSulṭān’srevoltagainsthisgreatfather,SubḥānQulīMuḥammad
BahādurKhān 180
OnthearrivalofHisMajestyofJam-likedignityandtheangelicarmy,in
Balkh 183
Onrulingarealmandthecustomofthekings;presentedhereasanexample,
mayitbeclear 190
OnthedismissalofAnūshaKhānUrganjīfromthethroneand[theactof]
blindinghim 193
contents vii
OnHisMajesty,themoon-escorted,hastilyandanxiouslysettingoutforthe
secondtimetowardsBalkh 196
OnGhāyibNaẓarDīvān-baygī’smilitaryexpeditiontowardsHarātand
Bālā-murghāb 199
OnKhushīkaBīAtālīqcomingforthtowardsMarv-iShāhijahāntogetherwith
thevictoriousarmy 201
OnHisMajesty,thecaliphal-ranked[khan],settingofftowardsBalkhforthe
thirdtime 203
OnBaygMuḥammadĪshikĀqā-bāshī’srebellioninShahr-iSabz 208
Ontheconflictamongtheamirsinthecapitalcity,Bukhārā,andHis
Majesty’sconcernbecauseofit 210
OnMaḥmūdBīAtālīq’sarrivaltogetherwiththeBalkhīamirstoputdownthe
rebellionoftheBukhārīamirs 215
OnĀrangKhānb.AnūshaKhān’sdemise 220
OntheriotandoppositionamongBalkhīamirsandonthearrivalofagroup
ofcommandersoftheQūramainthecapitalcityandthedetaileddescription
oftheeventsthathappenedinthatland 222
OnRaḥīmBī’sarrivalfromKhujandwithanumerousarmyatthecourtofthe
world-admiredkhan 223
OnthemeetingofMaḥmūdBīandRaḥīmBī 226
Onhismoon-escortedmajesty’sbattlepreparations,forthethirdtime 229
OnthemeetingoftheamirsofHisMajesty,thecaliphal-ranked,with
MaḥmudBīandtheKhvājagān 231
OnKhvājaẔakarīyāṢadr’sarrivalat[thecourtof]theJam-mightykhanto
intercedefortheinhabitantsofthefortress[ofBalkh] 233
OntheshaykhsandulamawholivedduringthereignofHisMajestythe
caliphal,SayyidSubḥānQulīMuḥammadBahādurKhān 235
Noteonsomelearnedpeopleandthemasterofartwho,duringthereignof
HisMajesty,thecaliphal-ranked,wereamonghisfortunateretinue 241
OnthearrivaloftheBalkhīamirs[inBukhārā]witharequesttoappointthe
angel-escortedandroyal-tokenedprince,MuḥammadMuqīmSulṭānasthe
tūra[rulerofBalkh] 244
OnthearrivalofagroupofKhvārazmīstoHisMajesty,thecaliphal-ranked
[khan],withtherequesttoappointShāhNīyāzSulṭānthetūra[ruler]in
Urganj 246
OntheexcellentKhvājagānandtheeminentgreatmenwhovisitedandmet
HisMajesty[thekhan] 248
Onsomeofthecalligrapherswhowereemployedinthe[royal]library 255
Onsomepaintersandillustrators 256
Ontheexplanationofthetermhistoryanditsmeanings 259
viii contents
Bibliography 269
IndexofKoran 273
IndexofHadith 275
IndexofPeopleandPlaces 276
IndexofSubjects 293
TheTranslators’ Preface
ThepresenttranslationisbasedonourcriticaleditionoftheMuḥīṭal-tavārīkh,
whichwaspublishedbyBrillin2014.1
The author of the work, Muḥammad Amīn b. Mīrzā Muḥammad Zamān
Bukhārī(Ṣūfīyānī),wasprobablybornintheṢūfīyāndistrictofBukhārāsome-
timeduringthesecondhalfofthe1040s/1630s.Basedontheinformationinthe
work,hewasstillalivein1110/1698.Inonesurvivingmanuscript,2thisdateis
givenasthedateof completionof thework.Judgingbythework,itisalmost
certainthattheauthorwascloselyrelatedtohigh-rankingofficialsatthecourt
of Subḥān Qulī Khān (1681–1702) of the Ashtarkhanids and that he particip-
atedintheassembliesandfeastsofthekhanandaristocracy.Onanumberof
occasions,hecites,inastonishingdetail,lettersthatthekhansenttovarious
people.Thissuggeststhathehadaccesstotheroyalcorrespondence.Further-
more,theauthor’sextensiveknowledgeof theroyallibraryandatelier,which
heputstogooduseinchapter(bāb)10,wherehepresentstheroyalpainters
andcalligraphers,suggeststhatheheldanimportantofficialpost;hewasmost
likelyalsoinchargeofthekhanandhisfamily’sprivatetreasury.3
TheSeaof Chronicles(Muḥīṭal-tavārīkh)isavoluminousworkcontaining
anintroductionandtenchapters.4TheauthorbeginshisworkwithGod’scre-
ationof theMuḥammadanlightandthenAdamandendswiththeeventsof
5Jumādīl-sā̱ nī1111(28November1699).5Thisdateorprobablyafewmonths
latercanbeconsideredthedateof thecompletionof thework.6Itwascom-
posedatthebehestofIbrāhīmQūsh-baygī(d.Ẕil-ḥijja1112/MayorJune1701),7
ahigh-rankingofficialatthecourtoftheAshtarkhanidkhanSubḥānQulī.8
1 MuḥammadAmīnb.MīrzāMuḥammadZamānBukhārī(Ṣūfīyānī),Muḥīṭal-tavārīkh(The
SeaofChronicles),ed.MehrdadFallahzadehandForoghHashabeiky(Leiden:Brill,2014).
2 Russia(St.Petersburg),InstitutVostochnykhRukopiseǐRAN(ИВРРАН),no.D89(574agg).
3 AkimuškinandIvanov,‘Uneécoleartistiqueméconnue:BoxaraauXVIIesiècle’inC.Adle
(ed.),Artetsociété(Paris,1982),127.
4 ThecriticaleditionoftheworkandthepresentEnglishtranslationonlyincludetheintro-
duction,theninth,andthetenthchaptersofthework.
5 Thisisthelastdatementionedinthework,itisconfirmedbyallthreemanuscriptsusedfor
thecriticaledition.However,theyear1114/1702–1703ismentionedinwhatispresumablya
postscriptpassageonthedemiseofQāżīLuṭfallāh;thisappearsexclusivelyinthemanuscript
inFrance(Paris),BibliothèquenationaledeFrance(BnF),supplémentpersan1548(fol.168v).
6 AlthoughthecolophonofthemanuscriptinSt.Petersburgstatesthedateofthecompletion
oftheworkas3Ramażān1110(5March1699).
7 BasedonapostscriptparagraphinthemarginofthemanuscriptinSt.Petersburg,183–187.
8 Bukhārī(Ṣūfīyānī),Muḥīṭal-tavārīkh,328.