AN ABRIDGED TRANSLATION OF THE

HISTORY OF ṬABARISTÁN

BY MUHAMMAD B. AL-ḤASAN B. ISFANDIYÁR

Title Page
Half Title Page
Translations of the three Inscriptions on the Cover
Description of Series
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE	ix
Bibliography	xv
AUTHOR’S PREFACE	3
Section I, ch. I	5
Anecdote	8
Anecdote	9
Anecdote	11
Anecdote	12
Anecdote	12
Anecdote	13
Section I, ch. II: First settlement of the kingdom of Ṭabaristán and its cities	14
The Foundation of Sárí	16
The Foundation of Rúyán	17
Foundation of ´Amul*	20
Other important cities of Ṭabaristán beyond Tammísha	28
Section I, ch. III: On the virtues and wonders of Ṭabaristán	30
Anecdote	30
The Wonders of Ṭabaristán	35
Anecdote	37
Anecdote	38
Anecdote	39
Anecdote of the Dragon and Sám-i-Narímán	41
Section I, ch. IV. Account of the kings, nobles, doctors, saintly and famous men, scribes, physicians, philosophers and poets of Ṭabaristán	42
Sayyids of the House of the Prophet Who Ruled in Ṭabaristán	47
Anecdote	48
Rulers of the House of Báwand	58
Nobles and Notables of Ṭabaristán	73
Learned Man of Ṭabaristán	74
Religious Leaders (Imáms) of Ṭabaristán	76
Writers and Scribes of Ṭabaristán	80
Saints and Anchorites	80
Sages and Philosophers of Ṭabaristán	85
Physicians and Poets of Ṭabaristán	86
[Astronomers of Ṭabaristán.]	87
Section II. The Houses of Washmgír and Buwayh	90
Account of the House of Washmgír b. Ziyár, the kings of Gílán	91
Account of Kayús	92
Successors of Kayús	95
The Descendants of Jámásp and the Story of Gáw-bára	96
Account of the reign of Báw in Ṭabaristán	98
History of the House of Dábúya after the death of Báw	99
Invasion of Ṭabaristán by Maṣqala b. Hubayra ash-Shaybání	100
Further History of Farrukhán	101
The Ispahbad Farrukhán and Qaṭarí the Khárijite	101
Anecdote	108
Reign of the Ispahbad Dázmihr the son of Farrukhán	109
The Ispahbad Khurshíd	113
How the Ispahbad Khurshíd revolted against the Caliph Manṣúr	117
Account of the Caliph’s treachery towards the Ispahbad	119
Account of 'Amr b. 'Alá in ´Amul	120
Account of the governors and rulers who were sent from Baghdad to rule over Ṭabaristán after the extirpation of the Line of Jílánsháh	122
Rule of the sons of Súkhrá and revolt of Wandád Hurmuzd	125
Account of the war with Firásha	128
The Rebellion of the people of Rustamdár	132
Cause of the Extirpation of the Barmecides	134
Account of the King of the Mountains the Ispahbad Sharwín Báwand and Wandád Hurmuzd	140
Account of the deaths of Sharwín and Wandád Hurmuzd, and the reigns of their sons Shahriyár and Qárin	145
Account of the kings of Ṭabaristán after Mázyár	156
Qárin the son of Shahriyár embraces Islám	157
Account of the rule of the Ṭálibite Sayyids in Ṭabaristán	158
The Rise to power of Ḥasan b. Zayd	161
Rule of the Sayyids of Ṭabaristán, of whom the first was Ḥasan b. Zayd	162
Correspondence of the Ispahbad Qárin b. Shahriyár with Ḥasan b. Zayd	166
Ṭabaristán is finally subjugated by Sayyid Ḥasan b. Zayd	177
The Caliph al-Mu'tazz sends Músá b. Bughá and Mufliḥ with an army to Ṭabaristán	179
Ya'qúb b. Layth marches against Ṭabaristán	180
Revolt of Layth b. Fana against Ḥasan b. Zayd, and invasion of Ṭabaristán by Shárí, the lieutenant of the House of Ṭáhir	183
Revolt of the Ispahbad Rustam the son of Qárin the son of Shahriyár and his relations with Ḥasan b. Zayd	184
Death of Sayyid Ḥasan b. Zayd	187
Reign of Muḥammad b. Zayd over Ṭabaristán, and Revolt of Sayyid Abu`l-Ḥusayn	187
How Muḥammad b. Zayd attacked Ray; and what befel him with Ráfi` b. Harthama, and how an army invaded Ṭabaristán	189
What befel between Muḥammad b. Zayd and the Ispahbad Rustam the son of Qárin; and how an army invaded Ṭabaristán	190
Ráfi' makes peace with Muḥammad b. Zayd	191
How Ráfi' took captive the Ispahbad Rustam	192
Cause of the Martyrdom of Sayyid Muḥammad b. Zayd in his war with Muḥammad b. Hárún	193
Account of Muḥammad b. Hárún and the rule of Isma'íl b. Aḥmad the Sámánid	194
The Rebellion of Sayyid Náṣir-i-Kabír	195
Ismá'íl the Sámánid entrusts the government of Ṭabaristán to his cousin Abu`l-'Abbás 'Abdu`lláh b. Muḥammad b. Núḥ b. Asad	196
Aḥmad b. Ismá'íl the Sámánid sends Salám to govern Ṭabaristán	197
Aḥmad b. Isma'íl sends Aḥmad b. Núḥ to govern Ṭabaristán	198
The Russians come over the sea to plunder Ṭabaristán	199
Aḥmad b. Ismá'íl sends Muḥammad b. Ṣa'lúk to Ṭabaristán	199
Rebellion of Sayyid Náṣir-i-Kabír	199
Quarrel between the Ispahbad Shahriyár and Náṣir, and arrival of an army from Bu- khárá to subdue Sayyid Náṣir	200
Strife arises between -Ḥasan b. -Qásim and -Náṣir	202
-Ḥasan b. -Qásim sets out for Gurgán. He is attacked by the Turks, and besieged in the Citadel	203
-Ḥasan b. -Qásim, called ad-Dá'í ila`l-Ḥaqq	204
Colophon of India Office Manuscript	270
NOTES	271
INDEX	281