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Three Empires and Persian Historiography: The Thought of Müli¿ al-d¿n L¿r¿ uncovers the underexplored historical vision of a sixteenth-century scholar whose work spanned the Safavid, Timurid, and Ottoman worlds.
Centering on L¿r¿'s universal chronicle [
Mir'atu'l-Adv¿r wa Mir¿¿tu'l-A¿b¿r],
The Mirror of Epochs and the Staircase of Historical Reports, this book explores how a figure in philosophy, theology, and the sciences used history to navigate shifting imperial landscapes. Written in Persian and completed at the Ottoman court of Sultan Sel¿m II, L¿r¿'s work offers a nuanced and often critical perspective on the Safavid dynasty, reverent accounts of the Timurid legacy, and a carefully constructed narrative of Ottoman rule. Through detailed textual analysis, the book demonstrates how L¿r¿ positioned himself as both a cultural mediator and a political commentator, using historiography to reflect broader debates about legitimacy, identity, and intellectual authority in the early modern Islamic world.
A vital resource for scholars of Islamic historiography, Persianate studies, and Ottoman intellectual history, this book illuminates the enduring power of historical writing as a tool for negotiation, memory, and empire-making.
List of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures
List of TablesPreface
AcknowledgementsList of Symbols and AbbreviationsChapter 1: L¿r¿'s World: Exile, Empire, and History
1.1 Introduction
Chapter 2: Mu¿li¿ al-D¿n L¿r¿: Education, Travels, and Career
2.1. Origins and Early Scholarly Development
2.2. A Forced Migration
2.3. At the Mughal Court
2.4. Arriving at the Ottoman Court
Chapter 3: The Persianate Lens: L¿r¿'s Literary Contributions and Historical Vision
3.1. Introduction
3.2.
Mir'¿tü'l-Adv¿r wa Mir¿¿tü'l-A¿b¿r: An In-Depth Analysis
3.3. Exploring Features of
Mir'¿tü'l-Adv¿r wa Mir¿¿tü'l-A¿b¿rChapter 4: Selective Silence: L¿r¿'s Portrayal of the Safavids
4.1. Introduction
4.2. L¿r¿'s Reversal of Safavid Historiography
4.2.1. Crafting the Safavid Universal History
4.2.2. Biographies
4.2.3. The Shah at the Core
4.2.4. Prefaces
4.2.5. The Ancient Stories
4.3. Safavid Rule in Question
4.4. Safavid Scholars in L¿r¿'s
Täkira4.5. Conclusion
Chapter 5: The Heroic Legacy: T¿m¿r's Glorious Portrayal
5.1. Introduction
5.2. A Heroic Narrative
5.2.1. Tracing the Lineage of T¿m¿r
5.2.2. The Leadership Triad: Strategy, Skills, and Character in Action
5.2.3. The Faithful Conqueror
5.2.4. The Patron of Knowledge
5.3. L¿r¿'s T¿m¿r: A Strategic Hero in the Battle of Ankara
5.4. Timurid Mindscapes: The Intellectuals of the Timurid Era in
Mir'¿tü'l-Adv¿r 4.4.1. Mystics of the Näshband¿s
5.4.2. Mystics Beyond the Näshband¿ Sufi Tradition
5.4.3. Scholars in the Era of T¿m¿r
5.5. Conclusion
Chapter 6: Empire in Outline: L¿r¿'s Portrayal of the Ottoman Dynasty
6.1. Introduction
6.2. L¿r¿'s Lens: Early Ottoman Origins and the Shaping of Power
6.3. Osm¿n I: The Struggle for Legitimacy in the Early Ottoman Empire
6.4. Beneath T¿m¿r's Shadow: L¿r¿'s Account of the Ottoman Interregnum
6.5. Conquering the World: L¿r¿'s Depiction of Me¿med II
6.5.1. Conquering the World
6.6. Disclosing Hostility: L¿r¿'s View on the Battle of
Çald¿ran6.7. Divine Majesty: Sultan Süleym¿n in L¿r¿'s Narrative
6.8. Conclusion
Chapter 7: A Mirror Fading: L¿r¿'s Historiographical Legacy
7.1 Conclusion
Appendices
Index
About the author
Nilab Saeedi is Research Associate at the Institute of Habsburg and Balkan Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences. She received her PhD in history in 2025 in Istanbul, with a focus on Islamic intellectual history. Her dissertation was awarded the "Best Doctoral Thesis of the Year" at Ibn Haldun University. She also holds an MA in Turkish literature from Ondokuz May¿s University and a BA in linguistics. Her research interests include early modern Ottoman history, Persian historiography, and Islamic intellectual history. She has taught courses on art and literature and worked as a translator in Turkish, English, and Persian. She is a contributing editor for the
Journal of the History of Ideas, where she interviews scholars of intellectual history and reviews their work.
