About the Book:
Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi is the finest specimen of Indo-Persian historiography produced during the Sultanate period in India. Written by Zia ud Din Barani during the reign of Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq, it was completed in 1357 CE and was dedicated to the reigning monarch. Primarily a history of the sultans of Delhi, it begins with the reign of Sultan Ghiyas ud Din Balban and concludes in the sixth year of Firoz Shah Tughlaq's rule. It covers Balban's dynasty, the Khaljis and the Tughlaqs. Information regarding Balban's dynasty was supplied to Barani by his father, grandfather and others who held important offices in the regime. From the period of Sultan Jalal ud Din Khalji, the account is based on Barani's personal observations. Unlike other histories of the period, Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi is not confined to an account of wars and the accession of rulers. In this regard it is a welcome departure, for it takes into account the socio-economic conditions of the time and, thereby, provides a realistic portrait of society as it existed in the period under discussion.
About the Translator:
Ishtiyaq Ahmad Zilli retired as Professor from the Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He has written extensively on medieval India. His most recent work is The Mughal State and Culture 1556-1598 (Selected Letters and Documents from Munshaat-i Namakin). He is currently Director of Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy, Azamgarh, a premier research institute for oriental studies in South Asia. He also edits the oldest Urdu literary and research monthly journal Maarif.
REVIEW:
'This revised and enlarged version was released in 1357 with six year's account of Firoz Shah's reign. Professor Ishtiaq Zilli has translated this enlarged second version and earned our gratitude.' - Iqtidar Husain Siddiqui, Shodhak |
