bookseller,” Nukhúd-biríz, “the pea-parcher,” Pína-dúz, “the cobbler,” Sarráj, “the saddler”), or a nick-name, derived from some personal peculiarity (as Kaj-kuláh, “Crooked-cap”).
A large proportion of Persians belonging to the official and learned classes have a title as well as a name, and the multitude and grandiloquence of these titles were severely criticized even in the eleventh century of our era by the great historian, antiquary and mathematician Abú Rayhán al-Bírúní. Those conferred on officials are generally compounded with the words Mulk (“Kingdom”), Dawla (“State”), Salṭana (“Sovereignty”), Sulṭán (“Sovereign”’), etc, e.g. Amínu’s-Sulṭán (“the Trusted of the King”), Amínu’d-Dawla (“the Trusted of the State”), Náṣiru’l-Mulk (“the Helper of the Kingdom”), ‘Aynu’d-Dawla (“the Eye of the State”), Mushíru’d-Salṭana (“the Counsellor of the Sovereignty”), Sa‘du’d-Dawla (“the Fortune of the State”), Mu‘tamad-i-Kháqán (“the Confidant of the Prince”), and the like. Military officers have such titles as Sardár-i-As‘ad (“the Most Fortunate Captain”) and Sipahdár-i-A‘ẓam (“the Most Mighty General”), while for doctors of Divinity titles like Shamsu’l-Ulamá (“the Sun of the Learned”), and for physicians titles like Fakhru’l-Aṭibbá (“the Pride of Physicians”) are deemed more appropriate. One who possesses a title is generally known by it rather than by his name, but if he dies, or is disgraced, or promoted to a higher title, his original title becomes free, and may be conferred on somebody else. This adds greatly to the difficulty of studying Persian history, for we shall generally find, at any period, a Niẓámu’l-Mulk, a Mu‘tamadu’d-Dawla, etc., and it is always necessary to consider what particular person bore that title at the time in question. To make matters quite clear, the whole name and title of each person ought to be given, but this not only conduces to undue prolixity, but has a somewhat forbidding effect on the foreign reader. Thus the name of my friend the Waḥídu’l-Mulk (“Unique one of the Kingdom”), who was for a time Persian teacher at Cambridge, is ‘Abdu’l-Ḥusayn; he is originally of the town of Káshán; he has made the Pilgrimage to Mecca; he has the title of Mírza (corresponding roughly to “Esquire” when placed before the name); and also the higher title of Khán (which always follows the name);
