Kurdish, Turkish, and Other Languages in Sharafname-ye Bedlisi

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Associate Professor in Research Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism

Abstract

A scientific and multifaceted examination of important historical Persian texts is essential for their correct interpretation. Many such texts contain words from languages other than Persian, and without understanding the meanings of these non-Persian elements, a precise and complete grasp of the text remains unattainable. One of the significant Persian texts that features a notable use of non-Persian utterances is Sharafname-ye Bedlisi (11th century AH / 17th century CE). The author, a Kurd by origin, was raised in the Safavid court and later attained the ranks of Amir and Amir al-Umara (“Mir Mirani”) in both Iran and the Ottoman Empire. This unique background has resulted in the influence of multiple languages on his book: Kurdish, Turkish, and the languages of the Christian peoples with whom the Ottomans had centuries of contact in Eastern and Central Europe and the Caucasus. This article examines Sharafname-ye Bedlisi precisely from this multilingual perspective. The findings attest to the presence of utterances from Kurdish, Turkish, and other languages within the book, as well as the broader influence of these languages on its text. On another level, these linguistic traces also reflect the rich cultural exchanges among the speakers of these languages and the multilingual environment in which the author of Sharafname lived. The effects of these linguistic exchanges are still more or less present in the Persian language, although some of them have disappeared from Persian due to changing conditions in Iran over the past few centuries.

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Main Subjects

Journal of Linguistics & Iranian Languages

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 September 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 23 August 2026
  • Revise Date: 07 September 2026
  • Accept Date: 20 September 2026

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