Note on Transliteration, Dates, and Translations
The system of transliteration used in this book follows the system adopted by the journal Iranian Studies, including Ā or ā for long alif, ʾ for hamza, and ʿ for the letter ʿayn. ʿĀyn at the beginning of a word has not been marked. Vowels are rendered to reflect the sound in English that more closely approximates modern Persian pronunciation. Established names and words in English are anglicized. Some exceptions have been made for Arabic terms and phrases, such as nathr, which are transliterated according to the common conventions for the Arabic language. All dates in the text are given in the Common Era (CE) unless they refer directly to Persian or Arabic texts in which case the original date is given, followed by the corresponding date in CE. All translations are by the author unless stated otherwise.