Original title | کتاب الآثار الباقية عن القرون الخالية |
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The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries (Arabic: کتاب الآثار الباقية عن القرون الخالية ) Kitāb al-āthār al-bāqiyah `an al-qurūn al-khāliyah, also known as Chronology of Ancient Nations or Vestiges of the Past, after the translation published by Eduard Sachau in 1879) by Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī is a comparative study of the calendrical timekeeping of different cultures and civilizations, supported by mathematical, astronomical, and historical research. The text establishes a universal timeline and charts significant historical events, relating the customs and religions of different peoples in time.[2]
For centuries after its publication in 1000 AD (AH 390/1), the text served as the standard reference on the history of Muslim territories.[2] The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries is Al-Biruni's first major work, compiled in Gorgan when he was in his late twenties, at the court of Qabus, the Ziyarid ruler of Gorgan.[3] The text is dedicated to Qabus.[4]