1916.] A unique History of Herat. 167 



This happened in a.h. 706 = a. d. 1306, when Bujai, son of 

 Danishmand, attacked Herat. It seems that some of his ene- 

 mies brought to the ears of Bujai that there lived in Herat a 

 poet called Sayfi, who had been a panegyrist of Malik Fakhr- 

 ud-Din Kurt and had composed a book called Sam Namah for 

 Jamal-ud-Din Muhammad Sam, the murderer of Bujai's 

 father Danishmand. Bahadur. It was full of the praise of the 

 Harawis and the Guris and severely condemned the expedi- 

 tion of Bujai against Herat. Sayfi was arrested and bastinadoed 

 and then taken before Bujai. Bujai sent for the Sam NYimah 

 and examined it. He saw that it consisted of fifty juz and 

 contained beautiful paintings and illustrations. At the place 

 too where he opened the book lie saw Sayfi had described the 

 glory and grandeur of Bujai's father and his followers. This 

 created a favourable impression upon Bujai's mind and he took 

 it for granted that the book was devoted to the praise of his 

 father. Nevertheless Bujai ordered the execution of the author 

 on the ground that he was a panegyrist of his (Bujai's) enemies. 

 Sayfi was then placed in the row of the criminals who were to 

 be beheaded for joining the plot against Bujai's father, but 

 happily he and another man, out of seventy -eight persons, 

 were released after they had signed bonds of servitude to 

 Bujai 



^/•li> <!*-*> ^<*^~j9 »*i? ^tZtLMj alii* ^Uojl ^ ^ib 





He further states that after the arrest of his patron Jamal 

 ud-Din Sam by Bujai, he (Sayfi) happened to meet one night 



unhappy 



of twelve maunds on his left leg fastened tightly to his rieht 



wrist. 



We 



alik-ul-Hukama Sa'd-ud-Din Hakim Munajjim Guri «JU< U V 



iS)yc ^3»i< +&*> ^^\ a** U£»Ji who was at first a noble at 



the court of Malik Shams- ud-Din Kurt, on whose death in a.h. 

 705 (a.d. 1305) he composed a beautiful Qit'ah, quoted by Sayfi 

 and several other subsequent authors. After Shams-ud-Din's 

 death Sa'd-ud-Din became a favourite courtier of Sultan Giya§- 

 ud-Din whose favour and full confidence he enjoyed. 



As to the reason for composing this work the author gives 

 us to understand that after writing his Majmu'ah-i-Giyasi, 

 which earned the praises of his patron Giya :? -ud-Din, he was 

 told by the said king that as there existed no historical record 

 of the events that had taken place in Herat from the time of 



