User:Kansas Bear/Abu Nasr Muhammad B. 'Abd Al-Djabbar

Abu Nasr Muhammad B. 'Abd Al-Djabbar, Al-Utbi, (born 961 Rayy - died c.1040), historian of the Ghaznavids. With the help of his uncle Abu Nasr al-'Utbi, he entered the service of the Samanids. He worked in their chancery as a secretary to the Turkish general Abu 'Al Simdjuri and the Ziyarid Qabus. He transferred his services to Sebuktigin and later his son Mahmud of Ghazni, working mainly in Hurasan and Nisapur. He was an ambassador for Mahmud to Gharcistan in 389/999 and was patronized by Ahmad b. Hasan al-Maymandi.

Al-Tha'alibi, Yatimat al-dahr, ed. Cairo, iv, 397-406, says that Abu Nasr wrote several works, including poetry and a Lata'if al-kuttab, but his fame rests on the sole surviving one, al-Kitab al-Yamini, a history of the reign of Sebuktigin and that of (Yamin al-Dawla) Mahmud up to 411/1020. The model for its ornate and verbose style was, the author states, Abu Ishak Ibrahim al-Sabi's history of the Buyids, the Kitab al-Tdaj. Despite its eulogies of the Ghaznavid rulers and their exploits, the Yamini is by no means neglectful of the darker sides of their reigns. Its florid style ensured its great popularity in the Islamic East; a large number of manuscripts exist, and several commentaries on it were written, e.g. the Basdtm al-fudalo? of 'Abd Allah al-Nadjatl (ca. 720/1320) and Shaykh Ahmad al-Manmi's al-Fath al-wahbi (1144-7/1731-4). Several Persian translations were made, including the simplified version of Abu '1-Sharaf Nasih Djurbadhkanl (ca. 602 / 1205-6). It is regrettable that no critical edition exists of al-'Utbi's work.

Culture
Qara Qoyunlu art was notable influenced by the Timurid Empire, since Timur had renewed the complete cultural entity of Iran by patronizing Persian literature, art and culture throughout the empire. Jahan Shah wrote his poetry in Azerbaijani and Persian. While the Kitab-i Diyarbakriyya, written by Abu Bakr Tehrani, was a history of the Qara Qoyunlu and Aq Qoyunlu written in Persian.