Attar’s Spiritual Allegories: Exploring Worlds Beyond The Conference of the Birds
@admin
Farīd ud-Dīn ʿAṭṭār of Nishapur (c. 1145–1221) is best known in the West for his profound masterpiece Mantiq al-Ṭayr (The Conference of the Birds). Yet the full sweep of his mystical vision unfolds across several lesser-known works—each a vivid allegorical cosmos through which the soul embarks on lofty …
Nizami Ganjavi’s Khamsa: Masterpieces of Persian Romantic and Ethical Storytelling
Nizami Ganjavi (c. 1141–1209) stands as one of the greatest poets of classical Persian literature. His five epic masnavī poems—collected under the title Khamsa (The Quintet)—synthesize romantic passion, ethical reflection, and spiritual insight in sumptuous narrative verse. Composed over more than two decades, these works established a template that would …
Saadi the Poet: Contemplative Wisdom in the Verse of the Būstān
Saadi of Shiraz (c. 1210 – 1291) is celebrated worldwide for his humanistic vision and elegant style. While the Golestān intermixes prose and verse, his earlier magnum opus—the Būstān (“The Orchard”)—is composed entirely in lyrical Persian poetry. Completed in 1257 CE, the Būstān unfolds across ten thematic chapters, each a …
Saadi the Storyteller: Moral Lessons and Human Insights in the Golestān
Saadi of Shiraz (c. 1210–1291) stands among the towering figures of Persian literature. His masterpiece, the Golestān (“The Rose Garden”), composed in 1258 CE, weaves together prose and verse in a tapestry of anecdotes, fables, and reflections that resonate across centuries. More than a mere collection of entertaining tales, the …
Jashn-e Ordibeheshtgân
Jashn-e Ordibeheshtgân is one of the twelve Zoroastrian “monthly feasts” (Jashn) that occur when a day and its corresponding month share the same name—in this case, the 3rd day of the 2nd month, Ordibehesht. Rooted in the worship of Asha Vahišta (Truth, Righteousness) and closely associated with the creation of …
The Enigmatic Hafez: Decoding the Layers of Meaning in His Ghazals
Introduction
Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī (c. 1315–1390 CE), universally known as Hafez, remains one of Persia’s most beloved and studied poets. His ghazals—short, lyrical poems built around a recurring rhyme and refrain—condense layers of meaning into elegant, tightly-wrought stanzas. Readers across centuries have found in Hafez’s verses both the …
Beyond the Whirling Dervish: Rumi’s Divan‑e Shams‑e Tabrizi and the Poetry of Ecstasy
Introduction
Most readers first encounter Jalāl ad‑Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207–1273 CE) through the rhythmic grace of the Mevlevī “whirling” ceremony or the epic narrative of his Masnavi. Yet it is in his lesser‑known, intensely personal collection—the Divan‑e Shams‑e Tabrizi (“The Collected Poems of Shams of Tabriz”)—that we glimpse the …
Ferdowsi's Craft: How the Shahnameh Preserved Pre-Islamic Myths and Histories
Introduction
Abu’l-Qasem Ferdowsi Tusi (c. 940–1020 CE) stands as one of the most monumental figures in Persian literature. His magnum opus, the Shahnameh (“Book of Kings”), is an epic poem of some 50,000 couplets that weaves together myth, legend, and history to tell the story of the Iranian people from creation …