Tarikh-I Firoz Shahi- Ziau- D Din Barni Shams -I- Siraj Afif

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The knowledge of past is necessarily required for the planning of future. Our present culture, language, social system is directly influenced by our collective past. Our heritage is composed of not just architectural relics and cultural legacies but also literature, fictional and otherwise. These books and text materials are a crucial part of our collective historical memory. Architectural relics are a window into the irrecoverable past; a form of time-travel, if you will. They are indicative of not just the aesthetic sense of our ancestors and their technical skills but also a means of studying their daily life and rituals. Historical books and text materials are the mile stones for the development of our present architectural structures. They often function as chronicles of the past and guidebooks for the future. One such book is Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi.

Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi was written during the reign of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq and Firoz Shah Tughalq by two contemporary historians, Zia- ad-din-Barni (1285-1357AD) and Shams-i-Siraj "Afif"

. The book is in two parts. The first part was written by Zia-d din Barni and second by Shams-i-Siraj Afif, both originally in Persian. Both the manuscripts were translated into English by two British officers. The first part of "Barni" was translated by Sir H. M. Elliot from the original manuscript which he procured from Bulandsahar. Sir H. M. Elliot was in East India Company's Bengal Civil Service. The second part of "Shams- i-Siraj Afif" was translated by Lieutenant Henry Lewis of Bengal Artillery and was published in the Journal of Archaeological Society of Delhi in 1849.

"Tarikh" means "History". Hence, Tarikh-i-Firoz-Shahi means the history of Firoz Shah (Tughlaq). Barni in his Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi states that he has recorded the true facts of history. Historians generally differ in their opinion of the truth of Barni's claim. Some consider it trustworthy while others are of the opinion that some facts were changed by the translators.

Shams--Siraj Afif" was born in Abuhar, the Rajput state of Dipalpur, Punjab. At that time Ghazi Malik (Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq) was the Governor of Dipalpur. Malik Sad-ul-Mulk Shihab Afif. Shams-i-Siraj "Afif great-grandfather, was the revenue collector (Amaldar) under Ghazi Malik during the period of Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji. His son, Shams-j. Siraj Afif's grandfather, was appointed to a higher post under Ghiyas ud-din Tughlaq Shams-i-Siraj Afif's father was a contemporary of Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

**Contents and Sample Pages**