Ahmad Ghaffari Qazvini

Ahmad Ghaffari Qazvini (Persian: احمد غفاری قزوینی: died 1568) was a scribe and historian in Safavid Iran, who composed two Persian universal histories, the Nosakh-e jahan-ara and Tarikh-e negarestan.[1]

Ahmad Ghaffari Qazvini
The right side of a double-page illuminated frontispiece in the Tarikh-e negarestan, showing the name of Ahmad Ghaffari Qazvini
The right side of a double-page illuminated frontispiece in the Tarikh-e negarestan, showing the name of Ahmad Ghaffari Qazvini
BornQazvin, Iran
Died1568
Debal
OccupationScribe and historian
Language
Notable worksNosakh-e jahan-ara
Tarikh-e negarestan
RelativesMohammad Ghaffari (father)
Abd-al-Ghaffar (paternal grandfather)

A native of Qazvin, Ahmad Ghaffari belonged to a distinguished lineage, known for their roles as scholars and officials. His family was descended from Najm al-Din al-Qazwini al-Katibi (died 1266), a prominent scholar of the Shafi'i school in Sunni Islam. Ahmad Ghaffari's paternal grandfather Abd-al-Ghaffar served as the army judge (qazi-e mo'askar) under the Aq Qoyunlu. Ahmad Ghaffari's father Mohammad Ghaffari (died 1525) held the office of chief judge of Ray during the reign of Shah Ismail I (r. 1501–1524), and was also a cousin of Qazi Isa Savaji (died 1491), a distinguished vizier of the Aq Qoyunlu.[1]

Ahmad Ghaffari began his career under Shah Tahmasp I as a court scribe but soon found himself working for the latters younger brother Sam Mirza. In 1552, Ahmad Ghaffari composed the Tarikh-e negarestan and dedicated it to Shah Tahmasp I.[1] In 1563/64, he composed the Nosakh-e jahan-ara, which was also dedicated to Shah Tahmasp I.[2] Ahmad Ghaffari traveled to the Hijaz on a pilgrimage later in Shah Tahmasp I's reign. He traveled to Mughal India in 1568 from the Hijaz, but died in Debal, a port city in the Sindh region near present-day Karachi in Pakistan.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Ghereghlou 2020.
  2. ^ Trausch 2021, pp. 172, 185.

Sources

edit
  • Ghereghlou, Kioumars (2020). "Ḡaffāri Qazvini, Aḥmad". Encyclopaedia Iranica Online. Brill. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  • Quinn, Sholeh A. (2020). Persian Historiography Across Empires: The Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1108842211.
  • Trausch, Tilmann (2021). "Continuing a legacy in times of change". In Matthee, Rudi (ed.). The Safavid World. Routledge. pp. 182–200. ISBN 978-1138944060.