A Comprehensive Scroll of Transoxiana: A Narrative from Bahr al-Tawarikh by Vares Bukharayi

Bahr al-Tawarikh is the oldest Naqqali (Iranian old dramatic story-telling) comprehensive scroll based on Shahnameh which Vares Bukharayi (1088 AH/1677 CE) compiled in the second half of the 11th century AH in Transoxiana, about half a century before the Naqqali scroll of Shahnameh (compiled in 1135 AH/1723 CE). Most of the copies identified as Bahr al-Tawarikh are transcripts roughly different from the work of Vares, not the exact transcripts of it. The present article provides new information about Vares which amends and completes previous studies and also introduces and reviews one of the authentic and complete transcripts of Bahr al-Tawarikh. This transcript has noteworthy and valuable specifications, especially its linguistic aspect and content which represent the Persian features to Transoxiana.