It seems to have been doubted whether the Jámi'u-t Tawáríkh was originally written in Arabic or Persian. Most authors who have mentioned the work consider it to have been written in Persian, and translated, under the author's direction, into Arabic;* but it is certain that no Persian copies were very generally available in Akbar's time, for 'Abdu-l Kádir Badáúní states, under the transactions of A.H. 1000, that he was directed by the Emperor to translate the Jámi'u-t Tawáríkh from Arabic into Persian. It does not exactly appear from the text whether this was an abridgment or a translation, but the portion which was completed by 'Abdu-l Kádir is distinctly said to have been translated from the Arabic. It is curious that an interlinear translation of a part of the history, executed under the orders of Colonel Francklin, and presented by him to the Royal Asiatic Society, should also bear the name of 'Abdu-l Kádir, who thus appears to have executed a second time what his namesake had done before him more than 250 years ago.
A portion of the Táríkh-i Gházání has been admirably translated
by M. Quatremère in the first volume of the Collection
Orientale, and we are indebted to him for a full account of our
author's biography and his literary merits. M. Erdmann promised
an edition of the complete text of the Jámi'*
[which has
never appeared, but he has given a short extract therefrom upon
“Barkiarok's Regierung” in the Zeitschrift des Deutschen Mor-
The following account of the contents of the entire Jámi'u-t Tawáríkh, is taken from a notice in Arabic, by Rashídu-d dín himself, prefixed to a MS. of his theological works, in the Royal Library at Paris.
“The book called the Jámi'u-t Tawáríkh, comprises four volumes, the first of which contains a preface, an account of the origin of the nations of the Turks, the number of their tribes, and an account of the Kings, Kháns, Amírs, and great men who have sprung from each tribe; also of the ancestors of Changíz Khán, the history of that monarch's actions, and of his children and descendants, who have occupied the throne down to the time of Uljáítú Sultan. To the life of each prince is added his genealogy, an account of his character, and of his wives and children, a notice of the Khalífas, Kings, Sultáns, and Atábaks, who were contemporary with him, and a history of the remarkable events that occurred during his reign.
“The second volume contains an introduction and a history of the life of Uljáítú from the time of his birth to the present day; to this portion of the second volume will be added a supplement, comprising an account of the daily actions of this prince, written by me, and afterwards continued by the court historians. This second volume also contains a concise history of the Prophets, Sultáns, and Kings of the universe, from the days of Adam to the present time, together with a detailed account of many people, of whom historians have, till now, given little or no description. All that I have said respecting them I have taken from their own books, and from the mouths of the learned men of each nation; it also gives the history of the People of the Book, viz., the Jews and the Christians, and the histories of the Sultáns and most celebrated Princes of each country; also an account of the Ismaílís, and many curious and instructive particulars.
“The third volume gives, after the preface, a detailed account of the descent of the Prophets, Kings, Khalífas, the Arab tribes, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, etc., from the time of Adam to the end of the dynasty of the Baní 'Abbás; the genealogy of the ancestors of Muhammad, and of the tribes descended from them; the series of Prophets who have appeared amongst the Baní Isráíl, the Kings of the latter, and an enumeration of their different tribes; the genealogies of the Kaisers and others of the Christian princes, with their names and the number of years of their respective reigns. All these details have been faithfully extracted from the chronicles of these people, and arranged in systematic order.
“The fourth volume comprises a preface and a circumstantial account of the limits of each of the seven climates, the division and extent of the vast countries of the globe, the geographical position and description of the greater part of the cities, seas, lakes, valleys, and mountains, with their longitudes and latitudes. In writing this portion of our work, we have not been satisfied merely with extracts from the most esteemed geographical works, but we have, besides, made inquiries from the most learned men, and those who have themselves visited the countries described; we have inserted in our relation, particulars obtained from the learned men of Hind, Chín, Máchín, the countries of the Franks, etc., and others which have been faithfully extracted from works written in the languages of those different countries.”
This is the account given by our author himself of his work; it must, however, be remarked, that in the preface to the Táríkh-i Gházání and in many other passages, he speaks of three volumes only, writing, under the head of the second, the matters which here form the contents of the second and third. The easiest way of accounting for this contradiction is to suppose that he subsequently divided this second volume into two portions, on account of its great bulk and disproportion in size to the others.
In the preface to the Táríkh-i Gházání the work is divided, as mentioned above, into three volumes, according to the following distribution:—
The contents of the first volume are the same as given in the preceding description, and it is dedicated to Gházán Khán. It comprises two books and several sections.
The second volume contains the history of Uljáítú Sultán (to whom it was dedicated), from his birth to the time when our author wrote; this forms the first division of the volume. The second division comprises two parts, the first of which is again sub-divided into two sections. The first section contains an abridged history of all the Prophets, Khalífas, and of the different races of men, to the year of the Flight, 700. The second section comprises a detailed chronicle of all the inhabitants of the earth, according to their races, extracted from their various writings, and from the mouths of natives of the different countries. The second part is filled with the remaining portion of the history of Uljáítú, “the Sultán of Islám,” as he is styled, and was destined to be continued in chronological order to the time of his death. “The historians who are, or may be, servants of the court, will take care to write this, and add it as a supplement to this second volume.”
The third volume comprises the description of the Geographical charts, and the various routes from one place to another, taken from the sources already mentioned. “The author has, as far as was in his power, multiplied and verified his researches from all that was previously known on the subject in this country, whether described in books or drawn in charts. To this he has added all that, during this fortunate epoch, the philosophers and wise men of Hind, Chín, Máchín, Farang, and other countries have written, and has entered it all in this third volume, after having fully ascertained its authority.”
The extended notice which is here given to Rashídu-d dín and the Jámi'u-t-Tawáríkh, is not only due to his merits and to the curious sources of his information on Indian subjects, but to the interest which was excited some years ago by the discovery, under very peculiar circumstances, of a large portion of the work which, up to that time, was supposed to be lost.