Chingizid Shâhnâma
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Ahmad b. Shaykh Mahmud al-Abiwardi (copyist)
 Envoys of Genghis Khan at the Siege of Nishapur (1221). Chingizid Shâhnâma by Shams al-Dîn Kâshânî, 1423 | |
| Author | Shams al-Dîn Kâshânî (author) Ahmad b. Shaykh Mahmud al-Abiwardi (copyist) |
|---|---|
Publication date | 1423 |
The Chingizid Shâhnâma, also Shâh-nâma-i tchingîzî (شهنامهٔ چنگیزی, "The Book of Kings of Chingiz" or "The Chingizid Shâh-nâma"), was a chronicle of the period of the life of Genghis Khan and his family. Only one manuscript is extant, dating to 1423, Iraq.[1][2][3]
The manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale (Shâh-nâma-i tchingîzî (Bibliothèque nationale Supplément persan 1443)) was created in the 14th century by Shams al-Dîn Kâshânî.[4] The copyist was Ahmad b. Shaykh Mahmud al-Abiwardi. It contains 25 miniatures.[5]
The text is a versified version of Rashid al-Din's 14th century Jami' al-tawarikh ("Compendium of Chronicles"), created during the reign of Öljeitü.[6][7] The chronicle was created by Shams al-Dîn, probably at the request of Ghazan Khan. According to the preface of the author, it was intended as a straightforward versification of Rashid al-Din's 14th century Jami' al-tawarikh, but the manuscript then derived from its original purpose and evolved by incorporating sections of advice and exemplary tales, complete with anecdotes about Alexander the Great, Bahrām Gur or Anushirvan.[8]
It is sometimes considered as a "very mediocre" history of the Mongol Empire, from the origins to the period of Oljaitu.[1]
The similarly named Chingiznama (or Genghisnama) was commissioned in the 1590s by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605) as a way to glorify their Ghenghis Khanid roots. It was also derived from Rashid al-Din's 14th century Jami‘ al-tawarikh ("Compendium of Chronicles").[9][7]