On the History of the Emergence of Two Editions of Mu‘in ad-Din Natanzi’s Work

Abstract

The article is devoted to the research of the causes and circumstances of the emergence of two editions of the work Muntahab al-tavārīh-i Mu‘īnī. The first edition of the work, known to researchers under the name Anonymous Iskandar, was written by the court historiographer Mu‘in ad-Din Natanzi in 816/1413 in Shiraz, the second edition was completed by the author on 22 Rajab 817/7 October 1414 in Herat. The work contains original material on the history of the Jochi and Chagatai uluses, the early history of the Timurids, local dynasties of Southern Iran during the reign of the Chingizids and Timurids. On the basis of the comparative-critical analysis of the contents of Iskandar Anonymous and Muntahab al-tavārīh-i Mu‘īnī, it is possible to trace how the political situation in the Timurid state influ- enced the ideological orientation of the content of historical works. Comparative analysis of the content of the two editions of Mu‘in ad-Din Natanzi’s work revealed the distinctive features of the presentation

of the material in each version.

In the first edition of his work, Mu‘in ad-Din Natanzi outlined the religious and political rights of Iskandar b. ‘Umar-Shaikh on ruling a country. In the work, Iskandar is mentioned under the religious title mahdī. Anonymous Iskandar contains a story about a personal meeting between Amir Timur and Iskandar b. ‘Umar-Shaikh, during which they concluded a succession agreement. However, in the sec- ond edition of the work, due to the changed political situation in the Timurid state, Iskandar’s rights to succession were revised by the author.

Key words: Iskandar b. ‘Umar-Shaikh, Mu‘in ad-Din Natanzi, Muntahab al-tavārīh-i Mu‘īnī, Iskandar Anonymous, the Timurid historiography.