Giyasaddin Ali. Diary of Timur’s Campaign in India (Dnevnik pokhoda Timura v Indiyu), 1958. In Russian.

Гийасаддин Али. Дневник похода Тимура в Индию. / Пер. с персидского, предисловие и примечания А. А. Семенова; АН СССР, Ин-т востоковедения.
Москва : Издательство восточной литературы, 1958.
208 с. Твёрдый издательский переплёт, увеличенный формат. Тираж 10 000 экз.
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Giyasaddin Ali. Diary of Timur’s Campaign in India (Dnevnik pokhoda Timura v Indiyu). / Translated from Persian, with preface and notes by A. A. Semenov; USSR Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oriental Studies.
Moscow: Publishing House of Eastern Literature, 1958.
208 pp. Publisher’s hardcover, enlarged format. Print run: 10,000 copies.

This 1958 edition is a critical primary source for the study of medieval Central Asian and Indian history. Written by Giyasaddin Ali, a contemporary chronicler who personally accompanied the Great Emir, the text provides an eyewitness account of Timur’s (Tamerlane’s) invasion of India in 1398–1399. Unlike later, more stylized court histories, Giyasaddin Ali’s "Diary" is noted for its relative immediacy and wealth of specific logistical and geographical detail.
The work follows the Timurid army's arduous journey from Samarkand through the Hindu Kush, the crossing of the Indus, and the decisive battle for Delhi. The chronicler describes in vivid detail the military tactics employed by Timur, the capture of major fortresses, and the sheer scale of the spoils taken from the Delhi Sultanate. Beyond the military narrative, the "Diary" is a treasure trove for historians interested in the urban culture and architecture of the period, as Giyasaddin Ali meticulously records the monuments and city layouts encountered by the invading forces.
This Russian translation was prepared by the eminent Orientalist Alexander Semenov, whose extensive preface and detailed scholarly notes place the work within the broader context of Timurid historiography. Semenov’s translation is praised for its fidelity to the Persian original while remaining accessible to the modern reader. The book also explores the ideological motivations of the campaign, which Timur framed as a "ghaza" (holy war), and the political impact of the invasion on the subsequent fragmentation of Northern India.
Published during the post-war flourishing of Soviet Oriental studies, this volume remains one of the most reliable Russian-language editions of this essential chronicle. For historians, biographers of Timur, and collectors of Orientalia, this 1958 "Nauka" (Publishing House of Eastern Literature) edition is an indispensable reference that captures the brutal majesty and complex geopolitical shifts of the late 14th century.