The Sharafnama (Kurdish: شەرەفنامە Şerefname, "The Book of Honor", Persian: Sharafname, شرفنامه) is a book written in 1597 by Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi (a medieval Kurdish historian and poet) (1543–1599) in Persian.
Ancient Medieval Modern Although the Sharafnama is a work of Kurdish history, it was written in Persian.
After his father, Shams al-Din Khan, sought refuge at the court of Safavid Shah Tahmasp 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.
The Sherefname has been translated into the languages German, Arabic, English, Ottoman, Russian, and Turkish.