The legend of Yafet ibn Nuh in the composition of «Mujamal at-tawarih wa-l-qisas»
Abstract
among the Muslim writings of the 12th century, a special place is occupied by a work known by a specialist called Mujmal at-tawarih wa-l-qisas”. Scientists have been familiar with this anonymous monument for a relatively long time, which has come down to us in four lists, but so far only partial translations of individual chapters of this source have been made into European languages, mainly concerning the history of the ruling dynasties in Iran. Within the framework of this article, I would like to introduce readers to the contents of the section from Mujmal at-tawarih”, which describes the biography of Yafet ibn Nuh and tells about his descendants. Special attention will be paid to the legend of Japhet’s gift of knowledge of the name of the Almighty and his creation of special talismans that granted their bearers special power and strength. As a result of the analysis of this section, first of all, it should be noted that the well-known sources for the anonymous author of Mujmal at-tawarih”, in particular the work of Muhammad Balʻamy, do not contain such a legend, which, however, does not mean that the creator of the work we are interested in did not borrow it from some another earlier monument. In connection with the narrative of stone talismans created by Yaphetibn Nuh, it is interesting to recall some legends about the Turkic peoples, whose leaders allegedly controlled the elements with stones, as described in some Muslim writings. Such a comparison looks even more interesting considering that, according to the text “Mujmal at-tawarih”, the ancestor of the Turkic nomadic tribes, namely the Turk, was one of the sons of Yaphet, and his biography is also described by the anonymous author of this Persian work. Nevertheless, the results of the study should be considered interim until the publication of the full translation of chapter XI from the “Mujmal at-tawarih wa-l-qisas”, which the author of this article plans to implement in the near future.
About the Author
D. M. Timokhin
Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Science
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
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Review
For citations:
Timokhin D.M. The legend of Yafet ibn Nuh in the composition of «Mujamal at-tawarih wa-l-qisas». Islamology. 2025;14(1):72-82. (In Russ.)
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