Mir?at al-adwar wa-mirqat al-akhbar. Volume 1

Muslih al-Din Lari (d. 979/1572) was a Persian scholar in the traditional and foreign sciences. Born in Luristan in south-western Iran, he received his academic education in Shiraz, attending the lectures of Ghiyath al-Din Dashtaki ((d. 949/1542) and Kamal al-Din Lari (d. 979/1572), prominent representatives of the Shiraz School in philosophy. Under the Safavids, many intellectuals left Persia for India or Asia Minor. Lari went to India, living at the court of the Mughal emperor Humayun (d. 963/1556). After the latter's death he went to Mecca and then on to Istanbul, where he lived for a number of years, a respected scholar among his peers. His final years Lari spent as the head of a school in Amid, today's Diyarbakir. Lari compiled the universal history published here in Istanbul, dedicating it to Sultan Selim II (d. 982/1574). Worthy of note are his lack of partisanship, his transparence on sources, and his interest in scholars and artists. 2 vols; volume 1.