284 



Some Persian Inscriptions found in Srinagar. [No. 3, 



cord, tlie Mirza went to Badakhshan, and then to Hindustan. He 

 came to the Emperor Humayun as the latter having been defeated 

 was proceeding to Iran. The Mirza went on another expedition with 

 450 horse from Labor, took Kashmir again on the 22nd Eajab 974 

 and ruled Kashmir for ten years. He was accidentally killed by 

 some man in the year 987. The Mirza had seen the cities of Tiiran, 

 Moghulistan, and India, and been engaged in the service of the great. 

 He was skilled in most sciences, eloquent, brave, and wise in counsel. 

 The Tarikhi Eashidi was composed by him. By the order of Mr. 

 William Moorcroft, Vety* Surgeon under the British Government, 

 Sayid Izzat Ullah Khan compiled from records an account of the events 

 to the year 1238. The preface was written on the 11th Jamadussani 

 1238 Ydnt I'l. 



Note 1. The expression " Ydnt IT' denotes the seventh year of the 

 cycle of twelve, current in the chronology of the Arabians, the Persians, 

 and the Turks (or Moghuls), though each nation has its own denomina- 

 tions for the different years. The Ayini Akbari gives a full account 

 of these cycles, which were employed for the adjustment of intercalary 

 periods necessitated by the disagreement between lunar and solar 

 years. The Turki cycle was also called I'ghuri. (Oighur is the Eus- 

 sian spelling of the word). The names of the different years are the 

 names of certain animals. They are as follows : 



1. Sijqan — a mouse. 



3. Paras — a panther. 



5. Ltii — a crocodile. 



7. Yunt — a horse, 



9. Bich — a monkey. 



31. I't— a dog. 



2. U'd — a cow. 



4. Tawishqan — a hare. 



6. Yilan — a snake. 



8. Qii — a sheep. 



10. Takhaqii— a fowl. 



12. Tankiiz — a hog. 



To each of these names the word I f l was added, which denotes 

 "year." In Kashmir and Afghanistan, though this calendar is now 

 obsolete, the memorial verses containing these twelve names, are still 

 remembered. The present year is Tankuz. The verses are as follows : 



Cjlj! A*J <J*5 t&rf (^jSia? ^j JlxJ j 



JUS 



— i$. u^ v^* 8 * l) jj& 



