Statue of Ferdowsi in Tehran

Ferdowsi Tousi (فردوسی طوسی in Persian) (more commonly transliterated Firdausi, Ferdosi or Ferdusi) (935–1020) is considered to be one of the greatest Persian poets to have ever lived. Among the national heroes and literary greats of all time, Ferdowsi has a very special place. His life-long endeavour, dedication and personal sacrifices to preserve the national identity, language and heritage of his homeland put him in great hardship during his lifetime, but won him fame and honour for one of the great poetic masterpieces of all time. Firdus Square in Baghdad, Iraq is thought to be named after Ferdowsi. Image File history File links Ferdowsi Statue File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Ferdowsi Statue File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Map of Iran and surrounding lands, showing location of Tehran Tehran is Irans commercial, economic, and political capital. ... Persian (فارسی = Fârsi . ... Events Václav (Saint Wenceslas), Duke of the Bohemians, murdered by his brother, Boleslav I, who succeeds him Gyeonhwon, the king of Hubaekje, is overthrown by his eldest son Singeom. ... Events Hospice built in Jerusalem by Knights Hospitaller City of Saint-Germain-en-Laye founded Third Italian campaign of Henry II of Germany Canute the Great codifies the laws of England Births Harold II of England (approximate) Empress Agnes of Poitou, regent of the Holy Roman Empire (d. ... Saddam Husseins statue being torn down on April 9, 2003. ... Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Province. ...

Life

Ferdowsi Mausoleum in Tus

Ferdowsi was born in the Iranian province of Khorasan, in a village near Tus, in 935. His great epic, the Shahnama ("The Epic of Kings"), to which he devoted most of his adult life, was originally composed for eventual presentation to the Samanid princes of Khorasan, who were the chief instigators of the revival of Iranian cultural traditions after the Arab conquest of the seventh century. During Ferdowsi's lifetime this dynasty was conquered by the Ghaznavid Empire, and there are various stories in medieval texts describing the lack of interest shown by the new ruler of Khorasan, Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavid, in Ferdowsi and his lifework. According to historians, Mahmud had promised Ferdawsi a dinar for every word written in the Shahnama, but later retracted and presented him with dirhams, which were at that time, much less valuable than dinar. Ferdowsi rejected the money and returned home with a broken heart.Ferdowsi is said to have died around 1020 in poverty and embittered by royal neglect, though fully confident of his work's ultimate success and fame. Later it's said that Mahmud resent the amount promise to Ferdowsi's village, but when the messengers reached his house, he had died a few hours ago. According to legend, his daughter refused to receive the amount, thus, making Ferdowsi's Shahnama immortal. Image File history File links Ferdowsi Tomb File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Ferdowsi Tomb File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Categories: Iran geography stubs | Cities in Iran ... Khorasan (also spelled Khurasan and Khorassan; خراسان in Persian) is an area, located in eastern and northeastern Iran. ... Categories: Iran geography stubs | Cities in Iran ... Epic can mean: Epic poetry, a style of poetry EPIC, an abbreviation Epic Age, a time period in Indian history Epic, a series of wargames Epic Records, a record label Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics Epic Illustrated, an anthology series published by Marvel Comics Epic Games, a computer... Shahnameh Shahnameh Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Tus, where Ferdowsi is buried. ... The Sāmānid dynasty (819-999) was a Iranian dynasty in Central Asia, named after its founder Saman Khoda. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب Ê»arab) are a large ethnic group widespread in the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... // Events Islam starts in Arabia, the Quran is written, and Syria, Iraq, Persia, North Africa and Central Asia convert to Islam. ... The Ghaznavid Empire was a state in the region of todays Afghanistan that existed from 963 to 1187. ... Mahmud of Ghazni (971-April 30, 1030), also know as Yamin ul-Dawlah Mahmud (in full: Yamin ul-Dawlah Abd ul-Qasim Mahmud Ibn Sebük Tigin) was the ruler of Ghazni from 997 until his death. ... Shahnameh Shahnameh Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Tus, where Ferdowsi is buried. ...

Books

Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Tus, where Ferdowsi is buried.

His masterwork, the Shahnama, is the most popular and influential manifestation of true Iranian national epics. The Shahnama, or the "Book of Kings," consists of the translation of an even older Pahlavi (Middle Persian) work. It has been a work of exceptional popularity among the Persians for over a thousand years. In brief it tells the history of old Persia before Arab conquest of the region, this tale all written in poetic form and in old Persian language starts from 7000 years ago telling the story of Persian Kings and there doings. Image File history File links Tus_shahnameh. ... Image File history File links Tus_shahnameh. ... Categories: Iran geography stubs | Cities in Iran ... Shahnameh Shahnameh Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Tus, where Ferdowsi is buried. ... The concept of a National epic, a mythological or partly mythological large work of poetry of defining importance to a certain nation (a political (or would-be) entity and/or an ethno-religuous identity), is a product of the 19th century phenomenon of Romantic nationalism. ... The Pahlavi script was used broadly in the Sasanid Persian Empire to write down Middle Persian for secular, as well as religious purposes. ... Persian (فارسی = Fârsi . ...

Influence

Ferdowsi is one of the undisputed giants of Persian literature. After Ferdowsi's Shahnama a number of other works similar in nature surfaced over the centuries within the cultural sphere of the Persian language. Without exception, all such works were based in style and method on Ferdowsi's Shahnama, but none of them could quite achieve the same degree of fame and popularity as Ferdowsi's masterpiece.

Between all Iranian poets nobody is comparable to Ferdowsi because of what he has done to revive and regenerate the Persian language, culture and traditions. In fact the main reason that Persian language has remained more or less intact til now is because of his works. None of the all Iranian famous poets like Nezami, Khayyam, Asadi Tusi, etc. had the same impact on Persian culture and language. Iranians consider the Ferdowsi as unique Persian culture column. Nezami is pictured on a rug in a museum in Ganja, Azerbaijan Nezami Ganjavi (نظامی گنجوی in Persian, Nizami Gəncəvi in Azerbaijani)‎ (1141 – 1209), with the complete name of Nezam al-Din Abu Mohammad Elyas Ibn Yosouf Ibn Zaki Ibn Mo’ayyed Nezami Ganjavi, was a Persian poet and storywriter. ... Mohammed Zahur Khayyam, better known as Khayyam is an indian music composer whose career spanned across 4 decades (1953 - 1990). ... Asadi Tusi (born: Tus, Iranian province of Khorasan - died: 1072 Tabriz, Iran). ...

References used

• E.G. Browne. Literary History of Persia. (Four volumes, 2,256 pages, and twenty-five years in the writing). 1998. ISBN 0-700-70406-X
• Jan Rypka, History of Iranian Literature. Reidel Publishing Company. ASIN B-000-6BXVT-K

See also

• List of Persian poets and authors
• Persian literature
• Sassanid dynasty