ʿAlī Mīrzā, the son of Sulṭān Khalīl Āq Qoyunlu, is associated with two inscriptions at Persepolis that were written and carved in 881 AH/1476 AD, one day prior to Uzun Ḥasan’s military review at Band-e Amīr. At the time, ʿAlī Mīrzā was still a minor, and these inscriptions constitute the only works attributed to him to date. These circumstances have given rise to doubts concerning the authenticity and attribution of the inscriptions and have prompted suggestions that they may have been executed by individuals other than ʿAlī Mīrzā himself. The historical correlation of these inscriptions with the well-known treatise of Jalāl al-Dīn Moḥammad Davānī on Uzun Ḥasan’s military review has further contributed to these uncertainties.

The aim of the present article is to reassess the authenticity of the inscriptions attributed to ʿAlī Mīrzā at Persepolis and to examine their relationship to Uzun Ḥasan’s military review on the basis of historical evidence and field observations. The study adopts a historical-analytical approach and relies on primary written sources in conjunction with field investigations.

The results indicate that Jalāl al-Dīn Moḥammad Davānī’s account of ʿAlī Mīrzā’s inscriptional activity at Persepolis corresponds closely with the extant inscriptions; nevertheless, it is unlikely that ʿAlī Mīrzā himself acted as the scribe of both. Rather, the execution of the inscriptions may be attributed to calligraphers or secretaries attached to the court of Sulṭān Khalīl. At minimum, the inscription on the eastern window of the portico of the Tachara Palace should be ascribed to Aḥmad b. Ḥusayn. Furthermore, a comparative examination of the extant manuscript copies of Davānī’s treatise makes it possible to determine that Uzun Ḥasan’s military review took place in Shaʿbān 881 AH/1476 AD, thereby allowing for a more precise dating of both the ceremony and the execution of ʿAlī Mīrzā’s inscriptions at Persepolis.