Derbend-nâmeh or the History of Derbend. 681 
«Thus says Muhammed Awäbi Agktäshi: when the decree of malicious fate settled 
me in the land of Gkümügk, among the nobles * of (the town of) Anderey, one of the 
princes of Daghistan, a son of Gherai-Khan (whose soul rests in peace), perfect in wisdom 
and fortune, excellent in glory, the pride of Great Kings, the most generous Tchouban-Beg, 
the son of Shamkhal, may God prolong his life and fortune, as long as heaven, earth 
and mountains exist, — being a lover of History, begged me to translate into (an easy) 
Turkish language, void of Arabic and Persian words and phrases difficult for the under- 
standing of the beginners, some few sheets containing merely the history of the found- 
ation of Babul-Abwab, its conquest and the conquests of all Daghistan, that form the chief 
and most interesting part of the well known historical book called Derbend-nameb. 
But some worldly affairs preventing me, the task was delayed. The order however being 
repeated two or three times, a few sheets were translated from the Persian language 
into Turkish. May the style and the construction of the phrase be not censured; for (it 
is said) «speak lo men according |to their understanding»; otherwise, through the mercy 
and the grace of the Most High, we might have sufficient ability to (dress up) a his- 
torical style.» — 
This Preface, upon the whole, clearly shows: a) that the original Derbend-ndmeh was 
composed in the Persian language by an unknown author; b) that this historical 
book was more copious and more extensive than those which are known to us and which 
are only different versions of a little extract from it containing merely the history of 
Derbend &c.; and ce) that Muhammed-Awabi Agktashi, an Ottoman subject or, perhaps’ 
a native of the Crimea, who by some accident was removed from his native land into 
Daghistan and resided in 4nderey, complying with the desire of Tchouban-Beg the son of 
Shamkhal, who was, perhaps, one of the descendants of the Gherai-Khans, made the 
said extract from the Persian language in an easy Turkish, avoiding Arabic and Persian 
words and phrases difficult for beginners to understand. 
AIl this wholly destroys the general opinion hitherto followed by our Orientalists. 
We can say nothing here pro or contra before we are able to compare the above men- 
tioned preface with any other; or before we see the MSS. from which Bayer and Klap- 
roth have derived their information. Very likely the MS. of Berlin will be useful in this 
regard for our investigation: perhaps it is from the Preface of that MS. that Klaproth 
has borrowed his short prelude to his «Extrait du Derbend-némeh.» (Read the (1. of our 
Preface to this work.) 
- Fhope that some of our orientalists, who. have access to the Royal Library of Berlin, 
will soon solve the question by comparing the Preface here introduced with that of the 
MS. from which Klaproth has made his Extract. 
$ The word w#> means the nobles, military officers and courtiers: we do not know what was Agtashi’s 
office in Andery? 
