Ajaib al-Maqdur fi Akhbar Taymur
- Author died
- 854 AH
- Editions
- Ajaib al-Maqdur fi Akhbar Taymur
Ajaib al-Maqdur fi Akhbar Taymur (The Wonders of Destiny Concerning the News of Timur) is a historical chronicle and biography written by the Syrian scholar and man of letters Ibn Arabshah (791–854 AH / 1389–1450 CE) detailing the life, conquests, and devastating campaigns of the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) . Also known in manuscript traditions under the title Ajaib al-Maqdur fi Nawa'ib Taymur (The Wonders of Destiny Concerning the Calamities of Timur), it is widely recognized among historians as one of the most detailed and comprehensive contemporary Arabic chronicles on Timur's career .
Background and Composition
The author had direct personal exposure to the devastation wrought by Timur's armies . When Timur invaded Syria and assaulted Damascus in 803 AH, the young Ibn Arabshah was captured along with his family and transported to Timur's capital of Samarkand . During his years of exile in Transoxiana, Khwarazm, and neighboring regions, Ibn Arabshah acquired fluency in Persian and Turkish and pursued his scholarly studies . He gathered firsthand testimony and accounts directly from elders, witnesses, and officials in Samarkand who had observed Timur intimately .
After further extensive travels across the Mongol steppe, Astrakhan, and Crimea, Ibn Arabshah entered Edirne, where he served the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I in the royal chancery (diwan al-insha) translating works, giving him access to Turkish and Persian historical records . He composed the book about thirty years after Timur's death (d. 807 AH / 1405 CE), drawing on his personal recollections, primary eyewitness oral testimonies, and official documents .
Contents and Scope
The chronicle covers Timur's lineage, early life in the village of Khwaja Ilghar near Kesh, his rise to power, and his successive military campaigns across Asia and the Middle East . Major episodes recounted in detail include:
- The consolidation of Timur's authority across Transoxiana, Khurasan, Fars, and neighboring territories .
- The invasion of the Levant, the sieges and sackings of Aleppo and Damascus in 803 AH, and the mass deportation of artisans, scholars, and Quran memorizers to Samarkand .
- The Battle of Ankara in 804 AH / 1402 CE, the defeat and capture of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, and his subsequent confinement .
- Personal descriptions of Timur's physical appearance, imposing stature, lameness on his right side, austere demeanor, fondness for playing a large variant of chess (ten by eleven squares), and adherence to Chinggisid customary laws (Yassa) .
Style and Perspective
The work is composed in an elaborate, highly polished rhymed prose (saj') characterized by rhetorical flourishes, paired phrases, and poetic insertions . Ibn Arabshah maintains a sharply critical stance toward Timur, portraying him as a ruthless conqueror and tyrant responsible for widespread bloodshed, pillage, and sacrilege across Islamic lands . At the same time, the text offers candid observations regarding Timur's strategic acumen, formidable intellect, and keen patronage of dialecticians, physicians, and artisans .
Reception, Translations, and Editions
Ajaib al-Maqdur gained widespread attention both within the Muslim world and in European Orientalist scholarship .
- Ottoman Turkish Translations: The Baghdadi man of letters Nazmizade Murtaza (alive in 1130 AH) translated it into Ottoman Turkish twice: first in rhymed prose under the title Timurname for Ali Pasha, governor of Baghdad, in 1110 AH; and later in simplified, unrhymed prose with supplementary material on Timur's descendants for the vizier Ismail Pasha, which was printed in Istanbul at Matbaat al-Jarida in 1277 AH .
- European Translations: The French physician and Orientalist Pierre Vattier translated it into French in the seventeenth century .
- Notable Printings: The Arabic text was edited and published in Leiden in 1636 CE by Jacobus Golius (448 pages) . Further printings appeared in Calcutta (1812, 1818, and 1305 AH), Constantinople (1233 AH), and Cairo (1305 AH, 243 pages), alongside several modern editions .
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