Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi

Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi (nisba of Sirhind) was a 15th century Indian Muslim historian who wrote Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi, a Persian language chronicle of the Delhi Sultanate. Written during the reign of Mubarak Shah, his work is an important source of information for the Sayyid dynasty.

Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi

Yahya expected to become a courtier of Mubarak Shah (r. 1421-1434), a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Therefore, he wrote Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi and presented it to the Sultan, hoping to win the royal patronage.[1]

The book begins with the conquests of Muhammad of Ghor (1149-1206), and ends abruptly in 1434.[2] Several earlier royal chroniclers had written texts describing the 13th-15th century history of the Delhi Sultanate. For example, Minhaj-i-Siraj covered the period up to 1259 in his Tabaqat-i Nasiri, Ziauddin Barani covered 1259-1356, and Shams-i Siraj Afif covered 1356-1388. Yahya carried forward this chronology all the way to 1434.[3]

For the events up to 1351, Yahya selectively borrowed from the earlier writers, and arranged the material in a chronological order. For the events after 1351, he relied on personal memory and observations, besides the accounts of some trustworthy narrators. His work is a regional history, generally limited to military and political events. For example, Yahya omitted the economic reforms of Alauddin Khalji (r. 1296-1316).[1]

References
  1. Mohibbul Hasan 1968, p. 174.
  2. Jagadish Narayan Sarkar 1977, p. 33.
  3. Khaliq Ahmad Nizami 1981, p. 70.

Bibliography
  • Jagadish Narayan Sarkar (1977). History of History Writing in Medieval India. Ratna Prakashan. OCLC 905677470.
  • Khaliq Ahmad Nizami (1981). Supplement to Elliot & Dowson's History of India. Vol. 2. Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli. OCLC 10825475.
  • Mohibbul Hasan (1968). Historians of Medieval India. Meerut: Meenakshi Prakashan. OCLC 35732.
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