Baba'i ben Farhad

Baba'i ben Farhad (, ) was a Persian-Jewish chronicler, poet, and historian, the author of the Kitāb-i Sar Guzasht-i Kāshān dar bab-i 'Ibri va guyimiyi Sani (The Book of Events in Kashan Concerning the Jews; The Second Conversion), a chronicle of the forcible conversion event of the Jews of Kashan, Isfahan, and Hamadan, and related hardships from 1721–31, particularly in 1729 and 1730. It is modelled on the work of his grandfather, Baba'i ben Lotf, after which it is the 2nd known Persian-Jewish chronicle.

The chronicle covers the downfall of the Safavid dynasty during the Afghan invasion of Iran from 1722-1730. It is written in Persian in Hebrew script., or Judeo-Persian. It is written in verse in the style of classical Persian poetry and includes Persian colloquialisms and Sufi references. ben Farhad is critical of Nader Shah, who expelled Ashraf Shah and demanded money from the Jewish community. Ben Farhad also experienced the invasions of the Ottomans and the Russians.

Works