Timurids in transition : Turko-Persian politics and acculturation in Medieval Iran / by Maria E. Subtelny.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Subtelny, Maria.

Series:

Brill's Inner Asian library ; v. 19.

Brill's Inner Asian library ; v. 19

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Timurids--History.

Timurids.

History.

Iran--History--640-1500.

Iran.

Iran--Politics and government.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xiv, 411 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates (color) : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2007.

Summary:

How did the Descendants of Tamerlane, collectively known as the Timurids, make the transition from a nomadic empire to a sedentary polity based on the Perso-Islamic model, and what effect did the process of transition have on their Turko-Mongolian customs and identity? This volume seeks to answer these questions by utilizing the Weberian concepts of the 'routinization' of charismatic authority and the patrimonial household state. Focusing on the period of the last Timurid ruler Sultan-Husain Bayqara (1469-1506), the author examines the impact of the introduction of Persian modes of bureaucratic administration on the evolution of Timurid government and describes the development of the agrarian economy of the eastern Iranian province of Khorasan through the Islamic institution of the pious endowment. Based on an exceptionally broad range of sources, the book provides a new paradigm for understanding the Tinurids within the framework of post-Mongol history and offers fresh insights into Turko-Persian relations and the problem of acculturation in medieval Iran.

Contents:

Note on Transliteration and Style xiii

Chapter 1 The Routinization of Charisma: The Timurid Patrimonial Household State

Temur and the Weberian Concept of Charisma 11

The Limits of the Booty Economy 14

Timurid Origins and Chinggisid Custom 15

The Role of the Imperial Guard Corps (Keshik) 18

Tensions between Islamic Law and the Timurid Tora 24

The Military Ethos 28

The Patrimonial Household State 33

Corporate Sovereignty and Its Consequences 36

The Process of Transition 39

Chapter 2 From Political Vagabond to Potentate: The Career of Sultan-Husain Bayqara

Lineage, Training, and Patrons 43

The Political Situation after the Death of Abu al-Qasim Babur 49

Marv and the First Period of Qazaqliq 52

Astarabad and the Second Period of Qazaqliq 57

The Third Period of Qazaqliq 59

The Conquest of Khorasan and Accession to the Throne of Herat 60

The Timurid Dual Administrative Structure 67

Chronological Summary of the Career of Sultan-Husain 73

Chapter 3 The Challenge of Change: Centralizing Reforms and Their Opponents

Financial Pressures and Short-term Solutions 74

Symbolic Measures on Accession to the Throne 76

Professionalization of the Bureaucratic Administration 79

A Persian Bureaucrat Confronts the Turkic Military Elite 82

The Centralizing Reforms of Majd al-Din Muhammad 89

A Trial by the Yarghu Court in Late Timurid Iran 95

Continuing Problems in the Timurid Fisc 99

Chapter 4 The Search for Long-Term Solutions: Khorasan and the Agricultural Imperative

Stating the Case for Agriculture: Timurid Mirrors for Princes 103

Khorasan and the Agriculture of the Herat Region 114

Agricultural Expansion and Hydraulic Construction 119

Sultan-Husain's Agricultural Interests: The Timurid Garden 128

Mirak-i Sayyid Ghiyas: Agronomist and Landscape Architect 132

Water Distribution and Record-keeping 136

A Medieval Management Accountant: Qasim b. Yusuf Abu Nasri 141

Career Opportunities for Accountants in Timurid Herat 145

Chapter 5 Piety and Pragmatism: The Role of the Islamic Endowment

Endowment Activity in Khorasan 148

Charitable and Family Endowments 150

Women as Donors: Establishing a Motive 154

The Economic Importance of Vaqf: The Debate Continues 158

A History of Maladministration 163

The Timurid Documentary Record 166

The Vaqfiyya of Mir 'Alishir Nava'i 167

The Vaqfiyya of Afaq Begim 171

Financial Management of Endowments in Timurid Khorasan 189

Chapter 6 Of Saints and Scribes: The Timurid Shrine as a Vehicle for Agromanagement

The Cult of Saints and the Visitation of Tombs in Medieval Iran 192

The Legitimating Function of Popular Shrines 195

Timurid Shrines as Vehicles for Agromanagement 198

The Shrines at Herat and Mashhad 200

A New Timurid Development Project: The 'Alid Shrine at Balkh 208

Legal Issues: The Privatization of State Land by Sultan-Husain 220

An Agrarian Success Story 227

Appendix 1 Survey of Endowment Deeds from the Timurid Period

Khorasan 235

Transoxiana 240

Appendix 2 A Timurid Deed of Endowment: The Vaqfiyya of Afaq Begim, Wife of Sultan-Husain Bayqara, for Her Mausoleum in Herat

Description of the Document 257

Facismile Edition 316

Appendix 3 An Edict of Sultan-Abu Sa'id Concerning the Gulistan Dam at Mashhad

Appendix 4 A Diploma of Appointment Issued by Sultan-Husain for the Supervisor of the 'Alid Shrine Development Project at Balkh

Appendix 5 Bills of Purchase and Sale Relating to the Privatization of State Land in the Balkh Region by Sultan-Husain.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [361]-390) and index.

ISBN:

9004160310

9789004160316

OCLC:

141384350