A New Source Of Ilkhanid History: The Autograph Manuscript Of Tarikh-i Wassaf

Abstract

Researchers in the field of medieval Iranian history know the importance of studies on the political and socio-economic history of Wassaf. There is also no doubt that they appreciate the difficulty of working with this valuable source. Sharaf al-Din (or Shihab al-Din) 'Abdallah b. 'Izz al-Din FazIallah Yazdi (Katib-i Shirazi) wrote a five-volume work called Tajziyat alamsar wa tazjiyat al-a'sar between the years 697/1298 and 728/1328. The fourth volume of the original autograph manuscript, completed at the end of the month Sha'ban, 711 (1-10 January 1312) is in the Nuruosmaniye Library (no. 3207), Istanbul. It is noteworthy that there is a kufic seal on the manuscript. The seal is exactly the same as that found on the manuscript in the Paris Bibliotheque Nationale (Persan 121) discovered by Prof. Francis Richard. The seal has been deciphered as having the inscription Vaqf-i Kitabkhana-yi Rashidi. This shows that the manuscript was for some time in the Rab'-i Rashidi Library in Tabriz. The presence of Turkish and Mongolian names in the Wassaf's autograph manuscript greatly helps in solving problems caused by linguistic difficulties and scribal errors.