The Importance of Tazkereh Mazaker Alashab of Maliha Samarqandi as the Most Important Book on the Literature of 17th Century Central Asia

To study the literary history of each era, the prominent literary books and sources of that period are of utmost importance. Chronicles are among the most important sources of information on the history of literature which directly acquaint us with the literary tradition of the past. Chronicles which deal with the literary tradition of one century are of greater significance. Tazkereh Mazaker Alashab is the only chronicle that focuses on the literary history of one century of Persian literature in Central Asia. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to this chronicle in Iran and, as a result, the literary tradition of Central Asia and the changes in Persian literature in this area have not been fully understood. This has led to the distortion of cultural and historical facts of the area, and the main rivals of Persian literature and language have used this to their advantage. This study aims to discuss the importance of this chronicle in keeping a record of the history of Persian literature of the 17th century Central Asia.