Firdausi
- Who was Firdausi?
- Firdausi was a poet of great stature in Persian literature, famous as a philosopher.
- He was a contemporary of Mahmud of Ghazni. He was born in the Khorasan region of the Samanid Empire (in present-day Iran).
- What are the works of Firdausi?
- Shahnameh
- Firdausi authored the famous work ‘Shahnameh’ (Book of Kings) with patronage from Abu Mansur Muhammad, the Samanid prince.
- After the Ghaznavids overran the Samanids, Firdausi started writings about Mamud, usually praising the Sultan in the book.
- Firdausi, through this work, aimed to revive the glory of ancient Iran. First, the book describes the primitive Iranian rulers, followed by the golden rule of King Jamshid (around 3000 BCE), thousand years of foreign rule, and battles of Iran with Turan. It also mentions the Achaemenian kings of Iran, Alexander the Great, and the Parthians. Finally, he praises the Sassanian rule over Iran (226-650 CE).
Fig: The Bath Scene (The Legend)
- How did he reach the court of Mahmud of Ghazni?
- Firdausi went to Mahmud’s court to present his work; he was already famous in Iran.
- It is said points of disagreement appeared between him and Mahmud over the issue of Firdausi’s praise for a vizier hostile to Mahmud. Moreover, Mahmud’s lack of interest in poetry offended Firdausi.
