[IO Islamic 2424] Maâthir-alumarâ, The Second Edition of the Great Biographical Dictionary of the Famous Amîrs, Nawwâbs, and other Noblemen who Lived

Another Copy of the Maâthir-alumarâ.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 2424 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Hermann Ethé, Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, 2 vols. (Oxford: India Office, 1903): volume 1, number 627 here with notations and hyperlinks].

627

Maâthir-alumarâ (مآثر الامرا).

This curious MS. of a rather unattractive exterior (both on account of the uncouth hand and the many cancelled portions) is nevertheless of singular interest and importance, as it exhibits the brouillon or first sketch of the second revised and greatly enlarged edition of Ṣamṣâm-aldaulah’s biographical dictionary, by the author’s son, Mîr ‘Abd-alḥayy (born A.H. 1142=A.D. 1729, 1730, died A.H. 1196=A.D. 1782), who commenced this edition, for which he used all the most famous historical and biographical works, A.H. 1182 (A.D. 1768, 1769), and completed it A.H. 1194 (A.D. 1780). Unfortunately there are seventy-two leaves missing between ff. 4 and 5.

Contents:

Preface of the second editor, ‘Abd-alḥayy, on fol. 1b, beginning: ستادش بیکران و نیایش بی اندازه مالک الملکی را سزد که آثار الخ.

The date of the completion, A.H. 1194, appears in the last line of this preface (ta’rîkh: زهی ادیب مصاحب مآثر الامرا).

The author’s original preface, on fol. 3b (the first line, beginning الحمدلله و سلام علی عباده الخ, is crossed out).

The dictionary itself is subdivide into at least five parts, each of which is arranged in alphabetical order and preceded by a table of contents; the system of these subdivisions is not clear, since they all appear to be of mixed contents both as to chronology and to rank.

The first part is missing; the second, on fol. 5a, contains twenty-two biographies, beginning with Amîn-aldaulah Amîn-aldînkhân, who died A.H. 1152 (A.D. 1739, 1740), and ending with Muḳarrabkhân, the son of Amînkhân, who died A.H. 1158 (A.D. 1745). In the text itself there were originally a larger number of biographies, but they have been crossed out (denoted by بطل) and not inserted in the table on fol. 5a.

The third part begins on fol. 35a and contains 126 biographies, four of which, although first inserted in the index, have afterwards been cancelled (denoted by بطل in the text, by a big م=محو in the table of the contents). First biography: Ibrâhîmkhân Aurang, under Humâyûn, who died A.H. 975 (A.D. 1567, 1568). Last biography: Yûsufkhân of Kashmîr, who died A.H. 999 (A.D. 1590, 1591).

The fourth part begins on fol. 98a and contains eighty-five biographies, three of which are afterwards cancelled.

First biography: Ihtimâmkhan, who died A.H. 1056 (A.D. 1646).

Last biography: Ya’ḳûbkhân Badakhshî, who died A.H. 1037 (A.D. 1627, 1628).

The fifth part begins on fol. 132a and contains 138 biographies, four of which are afterwards cancelled.

First biography: Aḥsankhân Sulṭân Ḥasan, who died A.H. 1120 (A.D. 1708, 1709).

Last biography: Yalankûshkhân Bahâdur, who died A.H. 1076 (A.D. 1665, 1666).

The whole number of biographies therefore in this Brouillon is 371, or deducting the eleven which afterwards have been crossed out, 360. In the first missing part there may have been eighty or ninety more, which would give a total of about 450 biographies, whereas the usual copies of this second edition contain 731…

A khâtimah, giving the editor’s short account of his own life, is found on fol. 203b; see Rieu i. p. 340.

This MS. exhibits throughout erasures of certain lines in the text and corrections and annotations in the margin, all in the same handwriting. Usually a blank space is left between the single biographies for future additions. Ff. 96-97, and 131 are entirely blank. Presented by Lieut.-Col. W. Kirkpatrick, 30th of May, 1804.

No. 2424, ff. 204, II. 21-23; Shikasta; size, 123/8 in. by 63/4 in.