Al-Maqrizi's Al-?Abar ?An Al-Basar: Vol. V, Section 4: Persia and Its Kings, Part II

Al-Maqrizi's (d. 845/1442) last work, al-H?abar ?an al-bašar, was completed a year before his death. This volume, edited by Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, covers the history of pre-Islamic Iran during the Sasanian period and the conquest. Al-Maqrizi's work shows how Arab historians integrated Iran into world history and how they harmonised various currents of historiography (Middle Persian historiography, Islamic sacred history, Greek and Latin historiography).

This part harmonises the versions of Miskawayh's Tagarib, al-T?abari's Ta?rih?, and several other sources, producing a fluent narrative of Iran from the early 3rd century until 651. It also includes the complete text of ?Ahd Ardašir, here translated for the first time into English.