Khosravani Diba

The book “Dibay-e Khosravani” by Abolfazl Beyhaqi is essentially an abridged version of “Tarikh-e Beyhaqi,” published by the “Jami (Mosadeq)” publishing house. “Tarikh-e Beyhaqi” is a historical book written in Persian by Abolfazl Beyhaqi in the 11th century AD. Much of this voluminous work has been lost, but the remnants are the most significant source on the history of the Ghaznavid Empire. This work transcends the scope of mere historical writing; its detailed descriptions and unique narrative style elevate it to the level of a “historical novel” and one of the masterpieces of Persian literature. It was composed in the Ghaznavid chancellery to align the Turkish-origin Ghaznavid rulers with Persian kings. “Tarikh-e Beyhaqi” originally consisted of thirty books, of which only six have survived. The remaining books primarily focus on the reign of Mas’ud I, the Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire. Besides recording political events, this work also provides accounts of geographical locations and the history of Persian literature, mentioning prominent writers and poets of the time. K. Alan Luther compared the epistemology of “Tarikh-e Beyhaqi” with later Seljuk historians and suggested a rhetorical approach to this work. Marilyn Waldman also advocated a rhetorical approach based on speech act theory, though she did not offer a comprehensive analysis of the text. Julie Scott Meisami also highlighted the analytical nature of this work, categorizing Beyhaqi among the historians of the Islamic Renaissance.