Derbend-ndmeh or the History of Derbend. 595 
REMARKS AND ILLUSTRATIONS 
TO 
PART THE NINTH. 
Remark 1. page 590. 
The date, whether 272 or 270 as we find the latter in the version of St. Petersburg, relates 
to:the time of the power of Æ#/muwaffagk, the brother of the Khalif Æ/mutamid. None of 
the historians whom I have read, relates anything concerning the state of Aderbijan and Daghi- 
stan, during that period of successive Ethiopian revolts and bloodshed in Arabia. We only 
know, that during the reïgn of this Khalif, as also of others belonging to the dynasty of Beni- 
Abbas, the viceroys or governors of Armenia and Aderbijan took charge of the affairs of Shir- 
wan and Derbend, while the Khalifs, engaged at home, were content with the information they 
received from these agents. Therefore, by the title «boliL Us a The sovereigns of Shir- 
wan, as quoted more than once in the version of St. Petersburg, we must understand the 
governors of that country, since we have evident proofs that the establishment of the sove- 
réïgn authority in Shirwân belongs 10 after ages *. ; 
4 Katib-tchelebi, following Gkazi- Baidzäwi and Gkazi- Ahmedi-Ghaffari, says: that the Sultans or Sove- 
reigns of Shirwan, began their reign after the conquest of the Djinghizides in Persia &c.; that the first dynasty 
of these same sovereigns was established by Menächehr, who was descended, according to Gkaffäri from 
Anushirvân himself, or according to Beidzawi from Bahrami- 'Tchübin; and that the second dynasty was founded 
in the time of Teimouri- Leng by Scheikh- Ibrahim whom Ahmed Ibni- Arabshah thinks also to have descended 
from Anûshirvan. In fact, the history of the sovereigns of Shirwan being one of the most gloomy and ne- 
glected subjects in Eastern authors, many historians and able writers have been led into mistakes, in the 
course of their descriptions. Hezâr-fenn and some others begin the account of the Sovereigns of Shirwan with 
the said Sheikh- Ibrahim, contenting themselves with merely hinting at the preceding dynasty. If we consider 
the original establishment of this first dynasty in the person ot Menüchehr, whose twelve sons are said by 
Katib-tchelebi to have reigned in Shirwân, and whose genealogy is described by the said Ghaffäri, we must 
then attribute the period of its foundation to the middle of the VI century of the Muhammedan era; for we 
know well that two eminent Poets of that age, named Khkdgkâni and Feleki [the first died in 562 of the 
Hidjret and the second about that time) were the admirers of that sovereign, and the honorary surname of 
the first, indicates that he was the special favorite of Menüchehr-Shirvän-shah (e (HE ge), entitled 
also Khagkäni-Kebir or the Great Khâgkan. Upon this ground we attribute.the error, into which Æatib- 
Tchelebi (alls, iu saying that the sovereigns of Shirwân began their reign after the conquest of the Djinghizides &ec. 
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