176 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XII, 



Now it seems to me impossible to overestimate the value of 

 this " history of Herat" for two reasons. Firstly, it supplies 

 an authentic and copious record of an important period of 

 history ; for that period it is the prime, written, documentary 

 evidence we possess, and but for this it would have passed into 

 oblivion ; secondly, the author had a most rigid regard for truth 

 and has displayed an immense industry in collecting informa- 

 tion from all genuine and trustworthy sources ; these are for 

 the most part oral traditions and contemporary witnesses. It 

 may be confidently asserted that as a contemporary of the 

 greater part of the events which he describes, he had every 

 opportunity for getting the best information at first hand. 



In the preface as well as several times in the course of his 

 narrative, the author draws our attention particularly to the 

 aforesaid facts. Thus he observes in one place :— 



i cUJiy, , &iWi^i ~ (yfc ^ ^ 3 ^ 



lS*> 





#-*!** J *&j>s «j±>j* »(* ^^ tf ,o *; ji^ 



^Uf^^u^ , ^l^ Jiu^ ^ f ^yu.^ ^tJL, oJUf*^ 



^Alio-C i. *• I. A.i !. .V. 1. 1 . *• 





The above statement is confirmed thus in another place 



jji 81; jf CU-A tf ytli ;<i li ^ J 



