Three empires and Persian historiography: The thought of Muṣ̣liḥ̣ al-Dīn Lārī

Abstract

This book explores the legacy of the sixteenth-century polymath Muslih al-DTn Lan (d. 979/1572), with a particular emphasis on his historical work Mir’atu’I-Advdr m Mirkatu’l-Ahbar (The Mirror ofEpochs and the Staircase of Historical Reports). While Lan is most renowned for his contributions to philosophy, theology, and astronomy, his historical writings have received scant attention in academic discourse. This study posits that Lan’s composition of a universal history was not driven by the traditional aims of historical documentation but rather by his desire to leave a lasting intellectual legacy. In his later years, Lari sought to compile and synthesize the knowledge he had accumulated throughout his life, with his historical work serving as a of encapsulating his broader intellectual vision...