Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature

Central Asia through Persian Historical Texts: An Introduction

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March 12 - May 14, 2026

Online, Weekly

Instructor: Ruben S. Nikoghosyan
Languages: English, Persian
Duration: 12 weeks (24 hours)
Frequency: 1 class per week (Thursday)
Duration of each Class: 2 hours (6:30 pm Yerevan Time)
Participation Fee: 350 USD
Deadline for Applications: March 5
Location: Online (Zoom)
Level of Persian: Intermediate, Advanced

Texts: 

  • Iṣṭakhrī, Mamālik wa Masālik (Cl. Persian translation, 13/14th c.);
  • Tārīkh-i Bukhārā, by Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Jaʻfar Naršakhī.
  • Juwaynī, Tārīkh-i Jahāngušāy (13th c.);
  • Šaraf-ud-dīn ‘Alī Yazdī, Zafar-nāma (15th c.);
  • Mīrzā Muḥammad Haidar Dūghlāt, Tārīkh-ī Rašīdī (16th c.);
  • Faẓlullāh b. Rōzbihān Khunji, Mihmān-nāma-yī Bukhārā.

Registration: To apply, please click the “Apply” button above. Complete all required fields and submit. Accepted applicants will receive further instructions on participation.

Note: All materials will be provided by the instructor

The Mausoleum of Ismā'īl Sāmānī in Bukhara (10th c.))

Persian Historical Texts on Central Asia

Persian historical texts are of fundamental importance for the study of Central Asia. Following the Islamic conquest in the early eighth century, Persian spread rapidly throughout the region known as (known to the Arabs as Māwarāʾan-nahr “[the land] beyond the river”), gradually absorbing and superseding many local languages. Over the course of the following millennium, Persian was the principal language of administration, literature, and scholarship across Central Asia and remained the most important medium for recording political, cultural, and intellectual life. This position was only seriously challenged in the twentieth century, when Soviet nation-building policies deliberately undermined the role of Persian as a literary and administrative language in the predominantly Turkic-speaking republics.

The historical legacy of Persian in Central Asia is vast: hundreds, if not thousands of chronicles, biographical and hagiographical compositions, geographical treatises, and mirrors for princes were composed in Classical Persian, alongside an incalculable amount of documentary texts, many of which remain insufficiently studied or entirely unexplored. For this reason, Persian is indispensable not only for the study of Islamic-period Central Asia, but also for understanding earlier periods through later historical memory and historiography. Any serious engagement with the history of Central Asia prior to the twentieth century therefore requires a solid grounding in Classical Persian.

 

About the Course

The current course aims to provide students with the linguistic and historical tools necessary to approach Classical Persian sources directly and critically. Over the course of 12 weeks (24 hours), we will meet once a week on Thursdays (6pm Yerevan). During this time, we will read and analyze six classical Persian texts, each illuminating different facets of Central Asian geography and history across various periods spanning from 10th until 16th centuries.

The course has two main goals. First, it aims to develop a deep understanding of the grammatical and stylistic aspects of Classical Persian. Through careful historical-linguistic analysis, students will gain insight into the language used in historical texts, which is crucial for rigorous historiographical research. In other words, mastering the language is essential for accurate historical interpretation.

The second goal is to place these texts within their broader historiographical context. We will explore how these works reflect in their the unique way the historical developments in Central Asia, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the region’s history and historiography.

Selected Texts

1. Mamālik wa Masālik, by Abū Isḥaq Ibrāhīm Iṣṭakhrī, translation of Muḥammad b. Asʻad b. ʻAbd-ullāh Tustarī (late 13th/early 14th c.)
Chapter: Māwara’n-nahr, pp. pp. 307-395
Text Edition: Abū Esḥaq Ebrāhīm Eṣṭakhrī. Mamālek va Masālek, tarjome-ye Moḥammad b. Asʻad b. ʻAbd-ollāh Tostarī. Be kušeš-e Iraj-e Afšār. Majmu’e-ye entešārāt-e adabi va tārīkhī-ye mouqufāt-e doktor Mahmūd-e Afšār-e Yazdī. Tehran 1373/1994.

2. Tārīkh-i Bukhārā, by Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Jaʻfar Naršakhī.
Chapter: 1. Ẓikr-i bidāyat-i wilāyat-i āl-i Sāmān, pp. 90-94; 2. Ẓikr-i dar āmadan-i amīr Isma’īl ba Bukhārā, pp. 94-111.
Text Edition: Abū Bakr Moḥammad b. Ja’far an-Naršakhī, Tārīkh-e Bokhārā, edited by Modarres-e
Razavi, Tehran, 1387Š/2008.

3. Tārīkh-i Jahāngušāy, by ‘Alā-ud-dīn ‘Aṭā-Malik Juwaynī (13th c.)
Chapter: Ẓikr-i Istikhlāṣ-i Bukhārā, pp. 75-85.
Text Edition: The Tārīkh-i Jahān-gushā of ‘Alāuʼd-dīn ‘Aṭā-Malik-i Juwaynī. Part I. By Mīrzā Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdu’l-Wahhāb-i-Qazwīnī. Leiden & London. 1912.

4. Zafar-nāma by Šaraf-ud-dīn ‘Alī Yazdī
Chapters: 1. Guftār dar nihẓat-i Sāhib-qirān ba Mawarā’nnahr wa šikastan-i laškar-i Amīr Husain (pp.152-157); 2. Guftār dar tawajjuh-i Sāḥib-qirān ba jānib-i Samarqand.
Text Edition: Maulānā Sharafuddīn ‘Alī of Yazd. The Ẓafarnāmah. Volume I. Edited by Muḥammad Ilāhdād. Calcutta: Baptist Mishin Prīs, 1887.

5. Tārīkh-ī Rašīdī, by Mīrzā Muḥammad Haidar Dūghlāt (16th c.)
Chapter: Guftār dar julūs-i Babur pādišāh da mamālik-i Māwara’n-nahr, pp. 374-378
Text Edition: Mīrzā Moḥammad Heidar Dūghlāt, Tārīkh-e Rāšīdī. Taṣḥīḥ-e Doktor ‘Abbāsqolī Ghaffārīfard. Mīrās-e Maktūb. Tehrān, 1383/2004.

6. Mihmān-nāma-yī Bukhārā (Hisory of the Reign of Muhammad Šaybānī), by Faẓlullāh b. Rōzbihān Khunji (1509AD)
Chapter: 1. Ẓikr-i umūr-i ki dāʻī šud bi-ghazā-yi Qazzāq, pp. 41-45; 2. Ẓikr-i tawajjuh-i haẓrat Khalifat-ar-Raḥman bi-ṣawb-i diyār-i Qazzāq, pp. 167-169
Text Edition: Mehmānnāme-ye Bokhārā, ta’līf-e Faẓlollāh b. Ruzbehān-e Khonji. Be ehtemām-e doktor Manučehr-e Sotude. Tehrān, 2535Š/1976.

Course Structure

The course consists of 12 sessions of intensive study, each session lasting for two hours. The classes will be held once a week, on Thursdays and will last for 12 weeks. Below is a breakdown of the main activities during each class:

–

Discussion of questions: Reviewing and reflecting on homework sections
Reading and analysis: Close reading and analysis of selected texts

Break: Short pause to refresh (15 minutes)
Reading and analysis: Continuing reading the text
Q&A and wrap-up: Open discussion and addressing participants’ questions

–
Students are encouraged to actively participate and share their perspectives, creating a collaborative learning environment.

 

Methodology

In my courses, I employ a straightforward yet highly effective method that integrates literary, historical-linguistic, and philological approaches to elucidate even the most complex passages and challenging words within Classical Persian texts.

Drawing on my background in pre-Islamic (Middle) Persian language and literature, as well as my familiarity with a number of Iranian and non-Iranian languages, broader historical and geographical contexts, and the rich literary traditions of the region, I aim to bring clarity to the meanings of words, expressions, and ideas within the texts we study.

This approach, which focuses on explaining the foundational logic and structure of the prose, will not only help participants comprehend the historical works examined during the course but also provide them with the tools and confidence to engage with other Classical Persian texts independently in the future.

Testimonials

Ruben was beyond exceptional as a tutor in Classical Persian, custom-designing and adapting to my interests and progress an invigorating course in its medieval historiography. He made every lesson enjoyable, and never failed to amaze with his encyclopedic knowledge of the Persian language, illuminating roots and derivations of any given word through the ages. Simply put, I could not have asked for a more inspiring and excellent teacher!
Alexander Sherborne
DPhil Student, Magdalen College, University of Oxford
I have taken both Shahnameh and Classical Persian Prose reading courses with Ruben, and all I can say is that he is the best language teacher I have had the pleasure of learning with. He has an extraordinary ability of introducing a wide range of topics like philology, history, and geography into his language teaching, and his encylopaedic knowledge of the Iranian world (and its languages) creates a learning experience that I can confidently say is unique to him and his school.
Rohan Kaya
Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford
This was the second course that I have taken with Ruben and I cannot recommend studying with him highly enough! He is an incredibly engaging teacher who really makes the course material come to life. I have studied Persian for many years but my courses with Ruben have been on a whole other level. I love his method of using classical texts to teach Persian. It is so rewarding to complete a course feeling both the satisfaction of having learned to better understand the language and also the pleasure of having read another major classic of Persian literature. Not only did I learn a lot during these two courses, I also had a lot of fun! Ruben was always available to clarify questions about grammar and vocabulary and was very responsive to questions that I sent him between classes. I especially appreciated how he used his deep knowledge of Middle Persian to explain questions that came up about the numerous peculiarities of early classical Persian. After taking these two courses with Ruben, I've noticed a significant improvement in my ability to grasp the subtleties of classical Persian texts, nuances that previously eluded me. I sincerely appreciate his exceptional courses; they have renewed my love for classical Persian literature.
Ali Hassan
Ali Hassan
Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA
If you are struggling with reading Classical Persian or Persian paleography, Ferdowsi School is the go-to place! Ruben is very knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging. While the texts were daunting initially, Ruben always encouraged us to think by connecting what we had learned from the previous sessions, so we both refreshed our memories and also applied what I have learned to the new text. In the “Classical Persian through Historical Texts” class, we worked on major Persian historiographical texts by not only translating but also discussing historical background and scholarly discussions on the texts. Ruben also discussed with us the grammatical, phonetical, and etymological aspects of the texts and the conventional use of certain words and expressions particularly in Classical Persian which differs from modern Persian. In “Classical Persian through Living Books,” we worked on deciphering handwritten Classical Persian texts in Naskh and Nastaliq scripts. By the end of the class, I felt much more confident in dealing with the sources I use for my dissertation research.
Di Wang
PhD Student, Department of History, The Ohio State University
My learning experience with Ruben via two of his courses (The Shahname and the Classical Persian through Living Books) has been the most fulfilling and rewarding part of my academic life so far. I had joined the Shahname course as a novice really, with ability to read the Persian alphabet, slowly connecting a bunch to form a word, and maybe read a few simple sentences. Now, after having completed two courses with Ruben, I feel happier than ever to be able to tell that my reading pace with the language has significantly improved, my understanding of the inherent meanings so much deeper than before. Courses with Ruben are so much more than finishing a predetermined coursework. They’re more about developing and sustaining habits such as reading, finding etymological nuances, making connections across languages, and most importantly, not being afraid to ask questions! (As Ruben would often say, “the harder the question, the better.”) For me, personally, this really is a beginning of a long journey of learning under Ruben’s guidance and tutelage. To everyone who has love for the language (with or without academic needs)- you’ll find it to be a deeply fulfilling and rewarding experience learning with Ruben and the Ferdowsi School.
PS. Hoping that the School comes up with in-person Summer/Winter School where we can travel, read and learn together :)
Jasleen K. Sidhu
History Educator, IBDP Strawberry Fields, Chandigarh, India.
Learning Persian literature with Ruben was a fantastic experience. I started learning Persian out of necessity, but thanks to Ruben, I began to understand the beauty of its language and literature, and now I am enjoying learning Persian. I took the Classical Persian course and Shahnameh course, which allowed me to understand the necessary grammar and sentence structures to read classical Persian literature. Most of all, Ruben did his best to enhance my reading ability by letting me read and translate each line of Persian text by myself. I first thought my Persian skills were not good enough to read those texts and stumbled a lot when I read them, but Ruben always waited until I made enough effort to think about the text and then gave a practical guideline based on my level. I think learning Persian literature with Ruben also helped my overall Persian skills, as he introduced a lot of words and expressions (both classical and modern) and made me listen to colloquial and literary Persian. Learning Persian literature can be one of the best ways to understand the Iranian and Persianate culture's profound historical heritage, about which Ruben offers insightful explanations and perspectives.
So Jeong Lee
MA Student in Art History, Seoul National University, South Korea

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CONTACT
Ruben S. Nikoghosyan (Yerevan, Armenia)

Email: nikoghosyanruben@gmail.com