Thomas of Metsoph

Born in Aghiovit, north of Lake Van, Thomas received his early education at the monastery of Metsob, northwest of the city of Arjesh (Erciş in modern Turkey).

He had to spend a peripatetic life fleeing the repeated attacks of the Timurid and Turkoman armies.

He engaged in teaching and literary activity at several religious centers in Armenian, including Sukhara, Tatev, Lim, and Metsoph (also spelled Metsob).

His major work is The History of Timur and His Successors, which is essentially an eyewitness account written for the most part from memory.

The classical Armenian text was published by K. Shahnazarian in Paris in 1860, translated into French by Félix Nève in 1855, and into English by Robert Bedrosian in 1977.