The medieval reception of the Shāhnāma as a mirror for princes

411 Pages·2016·4.019 MB·English

by  Askari, Nasrin

The Medieval Reception of the Shāhnāma as a Mirror for Princes
Studies in
Persian Cultural History
Editors
Charles Melville (Cambridge University)
Gabrielle van den Berg (Leiden University)
Sunil Sharma (Boston University)
volume 9
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/spch
The Medieval Reception of
the Shāhnāma
as a Mirror for Princes
By
Nasrin Askari
leiden | boston
Cover illustration: Episode from the story of Haftvad and the worm.
Folio 521v from the dispersed Shāhnāma made for Shah Tahmasp I. Signed by Dust Muhammad.
Tabriz, Iran, about 1540. Paper, ink, opaque watercolour, gold, silver. 45 × 30 cm.
Image courtesy of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, AKM164.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Askari, Nasrin, author.
Title: The medieval reception of the Shāhnāmah as a mirror for princes / by
Nasrin Askari.
Other titles: Studies in Persian cultural history ; v. 9.
Description: Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2016. | Series: Studies in Persian
cultural history ; volume 9
Identifiers: LCCN 2016023273 (print) | LCCN 2016025478 (ebook) | ISBN
9789004307902 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9789004307919 (E-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Firdawsī. Shāhnāmah. | Firdawsī--Criticism and
interpretation. | Persian poetry--747-1500. | Epic poetry,
Persian--History and criticism.
Classification: LCC PK6459 .A85 2016 (print) | LCC PK6459 (ebook) | DDC
891/.5511--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016023273

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This publication has been typeset by A. El-khattali using DecoType Emiri and Naskh for Persian/Arabic
script.

ISSN 2210-3554
ISBN 978-90-04-30790-2 (hardback)
ISBN 978-90-04-30791-9 (e-book)

Copyright 2016 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Fees are subject to change.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
To my parents, Shirin and Manouchehr
and my brothers, Mehdi and Babak
for their boundless love and support
∵

Contents
Acknowledgements  ix
Note on Transliteration, Translation, and Style   xi
Introduction  1
1 The Medieval Reception of Firdausī’s Shāhnāma  6
The Reception of the Shāhnāma on the Part of Sultan Maḥmūd  8
Fact versus Fiction  8
Niẓāmī ʿArūżī’s Anecdote  13
Niẓāmī Ganjavī’s Allusions  14
ʿAṭṭār’s Allusions  15
Saʿd al-Dīn Varāvīnī’s Allusion  16
The Silence of Sultan Maḥmūd’s Court Poets about Firdausī  16
The Shāhnāma and the ʿAbd al-Razzāq Family  18
The Reception of the Shāhnāma on the Part of Medieval Writers  21
Biographies of Poets  22
Comments of the Copyists of the Shāhnāma  25
Works on the Science of Rhetoric  26
Post-Shāhnāma Epics  30
Compilations of Selected Verses from the Shāhnāma  40
Medieval Prose Works Containing Verses from the Shāhnāma  44
2 The Portrayal of Ardashīr in the Shāhnāma  84
The Structure of the Ardashīr Cycle in the Shāhnāma  96
Ardashīr’s Eligibility for Kingship  97
Noble Lineage and Protection of Religion  97
Divine Election  99
Divine Support of Ardashīr  103
The Support of the Military and the Priesthood  110
Ardashīr’s Battles: The Stages of Founding a New Empire  111
Ardashīr’s Successful Kingship  124
A Wise and Conscientious Minister  125
A Rightful Heir to the Crown  126
Reconciliation with Former Enemies  129
viii Contents
3 The Wisdom of Ardashīr and His Advices in the Shāhnāma  133
Ardashīr’s Customs and Practices (āyīn)  133
The Army  137
The Scribal Class  137
Local Governors  138
War  138
Foreign Delegates  140
Construction of New Cities  141
Bankrupted Individuals  141
Addressing Grievances  142
Taxes  142
Ardashīr’s Throne Speech (andarz)  144
Ardashīr’s Testament (ʿahd)  153
The Concept of Justice  158
The Idea of the Union of Kingship and Religion  159
Threats to Kingship  163
Commonalities and Differences  165
Ardashīr’s Prediction  167
Ardashīr’s Cities  168
4 The Ardashīr Cycle and Medieval Persian Mirrors for Princes   171
The Pandnāma of Sebüktegin  172
The Ādāb-i salṭanat va vizārat  177
The Qābūs-nāma  181
The Siyar al-mulūk of Niẓām al-Mulk  185
The Naṣīḥat al-mulūk of Ghazālī  190
The Aghrāż al-siyāsa fī aʿrāż al-riyāsa  203
Two Chapters of the Jāmiʿ al-ʿulūm (Sittīnī)  207
The Marzbān-nāma  210
The Ᾱdāb al-ḥarb va al-shujāʿa  219
Conclusion  229
Bibliography of Primary Sources  235
Bibliography of Secondary Sources   244
Appendices A–M  256
Index  389
Acknowledgements
It is my great pleasure to acknowledge and thank the individuals and insti-
tutions that supported me throughout the completion of this book. My
interest in Persian wisdom and advice literature began in 2006, when I was a
doctoral student in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations,
University of Toronto. At the time, I was taking a course on Medieval Persian
Ethical and Advice Literature offered by Maria Eva Subtelny. She ignited my
fascination with the topic and provided great advice and support as I delved
into a whole new world of exploration. To her I shall remain indebted forever.
My doctoral research (defended in 2012) was supported by generous funding
from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC
Canada Graduate Scholarship), the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and
Universities (Ontario Graduate Scholarship), and the University of Toronto
(University of Toronto Fellowship and University of Toronto Doctoral Comple-
tion Award). I acknowledge with great thanks their generous support, which
enabled me to focus on my research.
I expanded and refined my original research during a two-year
Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellowship in the Department of Asian
Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where the relevance
and importance of Persian literary culture in the study of the eastern and
southern regions of Asia are strongly recognized. I was fortunate to work
there with a marvellous group of scholars and staff in a remarkably collegial
environment. I extend my sincere thanks to faculty members Ken Bryant,
Stefania Burk, Bruce Fulton, Naseem Hines, Tom Hunter, Christina Laffin,
Joshua Mostow, Harjot Oberoi, Sharalyn Orbaugh, Adheesh Sathaye, Edward
Slingerland, Catherine Swatek, Christina Yi, and Mozhgan Zolfi for their con-
tributions to the enrichment of my work experience at UBC’s Department
of Asian Studies. My greatest debt of gratitude is to Ross King, Professor of
Korean Language and Literature and Head of UBC’s Department of Asian
Studies, for the many ways in which he supported me in my academic career.
My heartfelt thanks go to Anne Murphy, Associate Professor of Punjabi
Language, Literature, and Sikh Studies, for the exceptional warmth and
hospitality that she and her wonderful family showed to me. I also wish to
thank the friendly staff of the Department of Asian Studies—Lonnie Chase,
Stephanie Lee, Oliver Mann, Jasmina Miodragovic, Chloe Ng, Maija Norman,
and Shirley Wong—for their valuable administrative support.
During my time at UBC, I was privileged to live at Green College, an inter-
disciplinary residential college, located at a stunningly beautiful, quiet place
on the UBC Vancouver Campus. The view of the dark blue ocean, lush green