An Index of Nayrūz Occurrences in Abbasid Literary Sources.

This volume is the result of a two-years research project, focusing on an exhaustive indexing of all edited Arabic sources mentioning the Iranian festival of Nayrūz (Nawrūz) in the Abbasid age (750-1258 CE). The Index is meant as a first step towards filling a void in the study of the Abbasid age, providing a ground-breaking instrument for scholars interested in the study of chronology and socio-economical history of the classical Islamicate world. Further studies on this subjects are sorely needed, in light of the literary presence of this festival and its connection to fiscal matters, as a quick look to the present volume will make clear to the reader. Moreover, this is in agreement with all contemporary studies on the history of Iranian strands in Islamic pre-modern societies, which seldom fails to mention the need for a systematic study of literary evidence.