AḤMAD B. ḤOSAYN B. ʿALĪ KĀTEB, historian of the 9th/15th century born in Yazd, author of the Tārīḵ-eǰadīd-e Yazd. Little is known about his life; from his works we learn only that he studied with well-known ʿolamāʾ and shaikhs, attended the gatherings of prominent religious and political figures, and copied the books of a great number of authors. Having become interested in history, he saw that there was no history of Yazd other than Jaʿfarī’s Tārīḵ-eYazd; thus he wrote an updated version in twelve chapters (maqāla). Beginning with Alexander’s conquests, the author follows Jaʿfarī’s history, quoting it frequently, in the first ten chapters of the work. But in the eleventh and twelfth chapters he tells about contemporary events without relying on any other source. He gives information on ʿErāq-e ʿAǰamˊ, Fārs, and Kermān during the last years of the Timurid Šāhroḵ (d. 850/1447), tells about conditions under Qara Qoyunlū rule, and describes the economic and financial situation of Yazd along with its architectural monuments and some of its personalities.
The history concludes with the annexation of Fārs and Kermān by Jahānšāh Qara Qoyunlū in 862/1458.
Bibliography:
For the work and mss. see Ī. Afšār, ed., Tārīḵ-eǰadīd-e Yazd, Tehran, 1345 Š./1966, pp. 7-14.
See also idem, Yādgārhā-ye Yazd, Tehran, 1353 Š./1974, II, pp. 26-27.
Storey, I, p. 1293.
Ḡ. Ḥ. Ṣadrī Afšār, Tārīḵ dar Īrān, Tehran, 1345 Š./1966, p. 125.
Browne, Lit. Hist. Persia III, Persian tr. by ʿA. A. Ḥekmat, Tehran, 1327 Š./1948, note, p. 499.
(İ. Aka)
Originally Published: December 15, 1984
Last Updated: July 28, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 6, pp. 640-641
İ. Aka, “AḤMAD B. ḤOSAYN,” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/6, pp. 640-641; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahmad-b-6 (accessed on 16 March 2014).
