The peculiarities of narrative formation in the “local stories” of Iran illustrated by the work of Nasir Ad-Din Munshi Kermani

Abstract

The tradition of local historiography in Iran existed both in the pre-Mongol period and in subsequent eras. The history of the Kerman region, in particular, demonstrates a clear continuity in the representation of the native land by authors from different periods, including Afzal al-Din Kermani, Nasir al-Din Munshi Kermani, and Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, all of whom devoted their works to describing historical events that took place in these territories. Among these historians, Nasir al-Din Munshi Kermani occupies a particularly important place. His work, Simt al-‘Ula li-l-Khadra al-‘Uliya, was compiled between 1318 and 1320. Apart from the detailed reconstruction of his biography and the analysis of his work undertaken by Abbas Eqbal, this historical source and the information it contains have received little dedicated scholarly attention in modern historiography. This article aims to examine the distinctive features of the text’s composition, the author’s narrative techniques – including his use of quotations from earlier historical works – as well as the proverbs and sayings employed to clarify the meaning and significance of particular historical events.