Although the Sharafnama is a work of Kurdish history, it was written in Persian. Given the context of Sharaf Khan's time, this choice was, in a sense, inevitable. After his father, Shams al-Din Khan, sought refuge at the court of SafavidShahTahmasp I (r. 1524-1576), it is not surprising that Sharaf Khan, who received a high-quality education alongside the princes in Shah Tahmasp’s palace in Qazvin and mastered Persian like a native speaker, chose to write this work in that language. His decision was driven both by the desire to reach a wide audience across the Persian-speaking regions and to enhance his dynasty’s legitimacy in the broader world. Upon completing his book, Sharaf Khan sent copies to the Kurdish leaders of Kilis (Husayn Jānbūlād) and Ardalan (Halo Khan). This gesture could have been aimed at demonstrating the Bidlis ruler’s dynastic authority and gaining broader recognition, while also indicating that Persian was read and written in the courts of other Kurdish rulers.[2]
Alsancakli, Sacha (2015). "From Bidlīs to Ardabīl Via Aleppo and Iṣfahān: On the Circulation of a Manuscript of Šaraf Ḫān Bidlīsī's Šarafnāma Revised by the Author (1007/1599)". Eurasian Studies. 13 (1–2): 133–152. doi:10.1163/24685623-12340007.
