Timurids in Transition: Turko-Persian Politics and Acculturation in Medieval Iran (Brill's Inner Asian Library): 19 - Hardcover

Subtelny, Maria

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9004160310 ISBN 13: 9789004160316

Publisher: Brill, 2006

Synopsis

How did the 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 in Persian, Arabic, and Turkic languages, the book provides a new paradigm for understanding the Timurids within the framework of post-Mongol history and offers fresh insights into Turko-Persian relations and the problem of acculturation in medieval Iran.

About this title

Review

"Thoroughly researched and elegantly presented, this volume offers valuable insights into questions that stand at the heart of medieval Islamic and Central Asian history."
Ron Sela (Indiana University), Journal of Asian Studies Vol. 68:2 (2009)

'Subtelny has produced a fine book, which draws on an extremely impressive range of sources, many of them still unpublished, and remains clear and admirably readable even wehn dealing with intractable matters like agronomy and fiscal management.'
Peter Jackson, Keel University, Speculum July 2009.

Synopsis

How did the 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? Utilizing the Weberian concepts of the routinization of charisma and the patrimonial household state, this volumes examines that very question. Focusing on the period of the last Timurid ruler Sulnusain Bayqara (1469-1506), the author demonstrates the impact of Persian modes of bureaucratic administration on the evolution of Timurid government, and describes the development of the agrarian economy of Khorasan through the Islamic institution of the pious endowment. Based on an exceptionally broad range of sources, the book thus provides a new paradigm for understanding Timurid history, offering fresh insights into Turko-Persian relations and the process of acculturation in medieval Iran.

Edition details

• Publisher: Brill
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 9004160310
• ISBN 13: 9789004160316
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 440