The Change in the Position of Ferdowsi and Nezami in Historical Shahnamehs (from the beginning of the Mongol era to the end of the Safavid era)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Jamshid Noroozi ¹

Javad Rashki Aliabad ²

¹ Associate Professor of History, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

² phD Student in History of Iran in the Islamic period department of PayameNoor University (pnu) p.o.box 19395-4697

10.22067/jmels.2024.88629.1031

Abstract

Looking at the form and content of historical Shahnamehs written from the Mongol era to the end of the Safavid era shows that during the Mongol period,

historical storytellers focused on Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. Back then, Ferdowsi was respected and admired by writers of historical epics, and his Shahnameh was seen as the only proper model to follow. On the other hand, Nezami wasn't given much attention by Mongol-era historical writers. You could almost say their respect for him was close to nothing.

However, things changed completely in the Timurid and Safavid eras. Nezami took Ferdowsi's place in these times. Evidence suggests that Nezami was given more respect and credit than Ferdowsi in the historical Shahnamehs of this period.

This text uses library research and existing evidence to show the influence of Ferdowsi and Nezami on writers of historical Shahnamehs from the Mongol era to the end of the Safavid era. It explains and describes how the importance of these two literary giants changed throughout the historical Shahnamehs written during these periods.

Keywords

Ferdowsi

Nezami

Shahnameh

Eskandarnameh

Historical Shahnamehs

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