History for Children

History and Politics Service of the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), by Tahereh Mehri – Qajar era textbooks not only have historical value and educational importance but are also still sweet and readable. One of the first history textbooks for elementary schools was created by Mahmoud Meftah al-Molk, who had also presented the first modern examples of children’s literature decades earlier. He endeavored to compile an attractive, fluent, and child-friendly book about Iranian history using the Shahnameh.

This book, titled “Kholasat al-Tavarikh,” the first children’s selection of Mahmoud Khan Meftah al-Molk’s Shahnameh, has been brought to the book market by Nashr Mohajer, edited by Seyyed Ali Kashefi Khansari.

The book “Kholasat al-Tavarikh” is the first children’s selection of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh in Iran, published through the efforts of Mahmoud Khan Meftah al-Molk during the reign of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar.

This book consists of two parts. The first part includes the publisher’s introduction, preface, an introduction to the author, Meftah al-Molk’s family, ancestors in the twelfth Hijri century, Mohammad Hossein Beyk Khan (Meftah al-Molk’s grandfather), Mirza Yousef Hakim Nouri (Meftah al-Molk’s father), a list of important life events, a look at the book Kholasat al-Tavarikh, and sources. The second part includes a contemplation on the source and method of summarization, the main text of the book, Sultan Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, the introduction, the first section, the start of the main text, the Pishdadian, Kianian, Ashkanian, and Sassanian dynasties.

Seyyed Ali Kashefi Khansari mentioned in the preface that Meftah al-Molk published five books for children, of which Kholasat al-Tavarikh was the last.

Two other books by Meftah al-Molk, titled “Tadib al-Atfal in the Treasury of Children’s Literature History Collection” and “Meftah al-Molk,” have also been published by Madrasa Publications and Gooya Publications, edited by Seyyed Ali Kashefi Khansari.

Introduction to the Author

“Mirza Mahmoud Khan Mazandarani, known as Meftah al-Molk and Romouz, was born in 1260 AH in Tehran and passed away in 1335 AH (corresponding to January 1917 CE) at the age of 75 in the same city. His father, grandfather, and brothers all held positions in the Qajar court. Meftah al-Molk joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the age of twenty-six and continued his cooperation with this ministry until late in his life. He published his first book, ‘Tadib al-Atfal,’ at the age of 34 and wrote six more books throughout his life. He was one of the founders of the Ma’aref Society and, after joining it, established the Eftetahieh School. The editorship of Ma’aref newspaper, the publication of this society, was another of Meftah al-Molk’s activities. He is recognized as the designer of the first competition in the history of Iranian press, the author of the first modern children’s literature story collection, the designer of the first fictional character in children’s literature, the author of the first Persian-language learning book for children, and the first rewriter and selector of ancient texts for Iranian children.

A Look at the Book Kholasat al-Tavarikh

Kholasat al-Tavarikh is the title Meftah al-Molk chose for his history textbook for schools. This is his last written book, and his first children’s book was published decades earlier. This book can be considered, in a way, a continuation of the book ‘Mathnavi al-Atfal,’ which was the first selection of ancient literature for Iranian children, a selection of stories from ‘Mathnavi-e Ma’navi’ by Molana Jalal al-Din Rumi, published in 1309 AH by Meftah al-Molk. Kholasat al-Tavarikh is a selection from Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, prepared largely in the same manner as the previous book. In this book, as in the previous one, several tasks were performed: suitable sections for the audience were selected, difficult and inappropriate verses were removed from these sections, and some remaining difficult words were defined in the margin of the book.

In the book’s introduction, Meftah al-Molk refers to his status as an author of children’s books and states: “…he left numerous beneficial works for both adults and children [kordan] of the country as a legacy, which were accepted and approved by government officials and scholars of the country.”

He described his role in the creation of this book with the phrases “arranged and compiled” and specified its audience with the phrase “for elementary students.”

The first sentences of the book’s introduction are about the importance of history. The introduction specifies that this book was intended to be several volumes, but subsequent volumes were never published. (Meftah al-Molk lived for about ten years after this book.)

He wanted to “arrange a brief, useful, and simple summary from the books of Eastern historians, devoid of difficult phrases and obscure words, suitable for the condition and language of children.” In this introduction, he wrote that he had included some things from Ferdowsi’s poems, but this is not the case at all; rather, the book is entirely a selection from Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh from the time of Kayumars until the fall of the Sassanian Empire.

His goal in compiling the book was: “To include historical topics, admonitions, and advice suitable for children, which would lead to the refinement of their character, increased eagerness and inclination, and facilitate the process of teaching and learning.”

He was aware that, according to modern knowledge and findings, many parts of the Shahnameh lacked historical value, but he postponed addressing new findings. He clarified that Greek histories mention other kings (Achaemenids), and recently the French have found another civilization (Elamites) in Shush, but these are not discussed here, and he leaves those matters for subsequent volumes.

Kholasat al-Tavarikh is the first selection of Shahnameh for children in the history of Iranian children’s literature. After him, the late Mohammad Parvin Gonabadi in the first Pahlavi era and the late Ehsan Yarshater in the second Pahlavi era created selections of the Shahnameh for children. Up to today, hundreds of types of selections, rewritings, recreations, adaptations, and inspirations from the Shahnameh are available for young children, children, adolescents, and young adults.

Meftah al-Molk’s technique in preparing the book is that, in addition to summarizing and selecting sections related to history lessons, he rendered some events in prose, connecting the chosen verses with his own sentences, and also defined difficult words in the margin of the book.

Composing two poems for the coronation of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar and praising him, and creating a chronogram (madd-e tarikh), which was his favorite art, are among other contents included in the introduction of this book.”

Following this, “A Reflection on Meftah al-Molk’s Source and Method of Summarization in Kholasat al-Tavarikh” by Dr. Seyyed Mohsen Mehrabi is presented. In a part of this writing, we read: “Kholasat al-Tavarikh does not match any of the examined Shahnamehs verbatim and was transcribed from another version. However, in terms of proximity and resemblance, it is similar to versions printed in India, and it can be guessed that Meftah al-Molk’s main source was one of Makan’s or Mowl’s primary sources.

Regarding the method of text summarization, the author focuses on the main parts of the book. For this purpose, from the first part of the Shahnameh, namely ‘In the Name of the Lord of Life and Wisdom,’ he brings 9 verses and omits the sections on praise of wisdom, creation of Adam, people, sun, and moon. After that, he selects ten verses from the section praising the Prophet and his companions. The discourse on compiling the Shahnameh, the story of Daqiqi, Abumansour, and the praise of Mahmud are other omitted sections until he reaches the account of the kings of Ajam. In these sections, too, the verses are selective and suitable for the young reader of the textbook. For example, in the section on the kingship of Kayumars, he explains topics such as the killing of Siamak and the battle of Kayumars and Hoshang with the Black Div in prose until he reaches the kingship of Hoshang, and he continues this method until the end of the book.”

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The book “Kholasat al-Tavarikh,” the first children’s selection of Shahnameh, authored by Mahmoud Khan Meftah al-Molk and edited by Seyyed Ali Kashefi Khansari, with 208 pages and a print run of 100 copies, has been released to the book market by Nashr Mohajer.