History of the Afghans

This history was compiled by Nimat Allah (fl.1613–30) in the seventeenth century. Bernhard Dorn (1805–81) published this English translation from the Persian between 1829 and 1836. Containing both historical and mythical accounts of the Afghan peoples, it remains an important resource for scholars of Asiatic history.

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History of the Afghans was compiled by Nimat Allah (fl.1613–30) at the court of the Mughal emperor Jahangir (1569–1627). Drawing on various manuscript sources, it contains both mythical and historical accounts of the Afghan people. The wide coverage includes discussion of the Pashtun and their origins, the prophet Yakub (Jacob), King Talut (Saul) and the Afghan migration to Ghor, the late medieval sultans Bahlul, Sikandar and Ibrahim of the Lodi dynasty, and the lives of saints. The work also features the genealogy of Afghan tribes as well as reports of miracles. The German orientalist Bernhard Dorn (1805–81) published this English translation from the original Persian between 1829 and 1836. This reissue incorporates the separately published parts in one volume. Dorn's respected translation of this important text remains of interest to scholars of Asiatic history and tradition.