# Bal'ami's Persian history (963)

URL: https://allhistories.com/iran/timeline/963-bal-ami-s-persian-history
Location: Bukhara, Transoxiana
Themes: Culture

At the command of the Samanid amir Mansur I, the vizier Abu Ali Bal'ami begins a Persian version of al-Tabari's Arabic history in 963. Rather than a literal translation, his Tarikhnama abridges the original and adds new material on Iranian kings. Around the same time, al-Tabari's Qur'an commentary is also rendered into Persian at the Samanid court.

## Why it matters
The Tarikhnama is among the oldest surviving prose works in New Persian, showing the Samanid commitment to Persian as a language of learning.

Ruler at the Time: [Khalaf ibn Ahmad](https://allhistories.com/iran/rulers/khalaf-ibn-ahmad)

Emir: Rukn al-Dawla
Emir: Vushmgir
Emir: Mu'izz al-Dawla
Shahanshah: 'Adud al-Dawla

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Abu Ali Bal'ami](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ali_Bal'ami)
- [Wikipedia — Tarikhnama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarikhnama)
- [Wikipedia — Iranian Intermezzo (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Intermezzo)