The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated the years 2008 and 2009 in honour of two great Iranian scholars, the Father of Persian poetry, Roodaki Samarqandi and the philosopher-theologian Mohammad Ghazali. Every year member states apprise the UNESCO of cultural and artistic events in their countries and also inform it of the century or millennium celebrations of their great figures in the field of science, philosophy, culture and literature.
Accordingly, UNESCO has chosen to commemorate in the years 2008 and 2009 such immortal Iranian figures Roodaki, Mohammad Ghazali, the multi-sided genius of the Safavid era, Sheikh Bahaeddin Ameli, and the great pan-Islamist activist of the 19th century, Seyyed Jamaleddin Asadabadi.
Accordingly, UNESCO has chosen to commemorate in the years 2008 and 2009 such immortal Iranian figures Roodaki, Mohammad Ghazali, the multi-sided genius of the Safavid era, Sheikh Bahaeddin Ameli, and the great pan-Islamist activist of the 19th century, Seyyed Jamaleddin Asadabadi.
This year, the Persian speaking world, made up of Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and other parts of Central Asia, is commemorating the 1150th birth anniversary of the Father of Persian Poetry, Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn Mohammad, whose pen name Roodaki Samarqandi is derived from his birthplace Roodak, a village between the two famous cities of Samarqand and Bukhara in Trans-Oxiana. Various programs, including seminars, plays, musical concerts, poetry recitation, etc, will be held on the occasion. Starting today, we would be presenting you a 15-part weekly serial on Roodaki's life and times, as well as his thoughts and works. We will also make you familiar with researches done on Roodaki both in Iran and abroad. Today's edition, the 1st of the 15 episodes, will dwell on Iranian literature till the time of Roodaki.
Poetry is the symbol of human soul and sentiments and the fruit of our inner emotions. Thus, ever since the cognizance of beauty, the tenderness of poetry has existed, and will remain in existence till the human spirit is alive with the feelings of love and emotions. Throughout Iranian history, poetry has had a special status in the hearts of people and even among rulers. Poetry is intermingled with Iranian life to such an extent that Persia or the Land of Iran has become famous for its sweet words and poetic minds all over the world. Although, Iran like all other lands has experienced invasions and foreign domination that inflicted great harm on its artistic and poetic works, very soon, Iran succeeded in conquering the conquerors, thanks to its innate spirit of art, culture and poetry, which always revived its exuberance and led to a greater flowering of its civilization. Perhaps that's why the invasion and plunder of Persia by Alexander of Macedonia or others, has made Iran, like the mythical bird Phoenix, rise to greater heights from ashes. This is the reason that no invader has succeeded in obliterating the brilliant culture and civilization of this land. It is said that after conquering the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander ordered the translation of scientific and literary books of Iran into Greek, and then burned the original texts in a bid to attribute the wisdom of the Iranians to the Greeks. Nevertheless, these pillages couldn't wipe out the Iranian heritage from the hearts of the people.
After the death of Alexander in 325 BC, the Seleucid Empire founded by his general, Seleucus Nicator, could not hold on to the Iranian Plateau for long, thanks to the rise to power of the local Parthian dynasty of northeastern Iran that drove back the Greeks and held sway over most of the lands of the Achaemenids including Mesopotamia or present day Iraq. For almost four centuries the Parthian Dynasty was in power and it helped revive the glories of Iranian art and culture. In 226 AD, the Parthians gave way to a new dynasty that rose from Fars or southern Iran under Ardeshir Babakan. Known as the Sassanians, this new Persian Empire rivaled the Roman Empire and checked its eastward expansion. For over four centuries the Sassanids ruled the Persian Empire and made many innovations in science and culture. With the emergence of Islam the Sassanid Dynasty that was in decadence for some decades, collapsed, as the Iranian people embraced the truth of Islam. Islam infused new life into Iran and the Iranians, and enabled them to achieve new glories. Although the ancient Pahlavi and Middle Persian languages died out as Arabic spread all over the Iranian Plateau, ancient sagas such as the Asurik Tree, Jaamasb-Nameh, Yadegar Zariran, etc, remained alive and were translated into Arabic. Iranian scholars and scientists now started writing their works in Arabic, and made great contribution to the Islamic civilization. For instance, the great Arabic grammarian Sibawaiy was an Iranian. Likewise, theologians both Shi'ite and Sunni, who wrote jurisprudential works in Arabic, which are taught to this day, were Iranians, such as Sheikh Yaqoub Kulayni, Sheikh Sadouq, Ismael Bukhari, Abu Hanifa, Ibn Maja Qazwini, Muslim Neyshabouri, etc. Arabic was considered the language of scholars, as is indicated by its extensive use by such famous Iranian scientists as Zakaria Razi, al-Kharezmi, Abu Ali Sina, and Abu Rayhan Berouni, who seldom wrote books in their native Persian.
After the death of Alexander in 325 BC, the Seleucid Empire founded by his general, Seleucus Nicator, could not hold on to the Iranian Plateau for long, thanks to the rise to power of the local Parthian dynasty of northeastern Iran that drove back the Greeks and held sway over most of the lands of the Achaemenids including Mesopotamia or present day Iraq. For almost four centuries the Parthian Dynasty was in power and it helped revive the glories of Iranian art and culture. In 226 AD, the Parthians gave way to a new dynasty that rose from Fars or southern Iran under Ardeshir Babakan. Known as the Sassanians, this new Persian Empire rivaled the Roman Empire and checked its eastward expansion. For over four centuries the Sassanids ruled the Persian Empire and made many innovations in science and culture. With the emergence of Islam the Sassanid Dynasty that was in decadence for some decades, collapsed, as the Iranian people embraced the truth of Islam. Islam infused new life into Iran and the Iranians, and enabled them to achieve new glories. Although the ancient Pahlavi and Middle Persian languages died out as Arabic spread all over the Iranian Plateau, ancient sagas such as the Asurik Tree, Jaamasb-Nameh, Yadegar Zariran, etc, remained alive and were translated into Arabic. Iranian scholars and scientists now started writing their works in Arabic, and made great contribution to the Islamic civilization. For instance, the great Arabic grammarian Sibawaiy was an Iranian. Likewise, theologians both Shi'ite and Sunni, who wrote jurisprudential works in Arabic, which are taught to this day, were Iranians, such as Sheikh Yaqoub Kulayni, Sheikh Sadouq, Ismael Bukhari, Abu Hanifa, Ibn Maja Qazwini, Muslim Neyshabouri, etc. Arabic was considered the language of scholars, as is indicated by its extensive use by such famous Iranian scientists as Zakaria Razi, al-Kharezmi, Abu Ali Sina, and Abu Rayhan Berouni, who seldom wrote books in their native Persian.
However, during this period, a new language, made up of old Iranian and Arabic words, was gradually emerging in Khorasan and Trans-Oxiana. It was Persian and its patrons were the Samanid kings of Bukhara at whose courts Roodaki, and others like Bassam Kord, Abul-Abbas Marvazi, Hanzaleh Badgheisi flourished. The Samanid dynasty encouraged the translation of Arabic works into Persian and among the literary, religious and scientific works translated, was "Kalilah wa Damnah", which was originally a Pahlavi book that had been translated into Arabic. Roodaki rendered it into Persian. Among the other works translated into Persian under the Samanids mention could be made of the famous History of Prophet and Kings, written by Abu Ja'far Tabari and his exegesis on the Holy Qur'an, which are now considered as precious gems of early Persian literature. Although poets did compose in Persian at the Samanid court, but none had the mastery of Roodaki Samarqandi, who is deserves the title of the Father of Persian Poetry. It was Roodaki's immaculate style that popularized Persian poetry and paved the way for emergence of such master poets of those days as Onsori and the celebrated Abul-Qasim, the composer of Shahnameh or the Book of Kings that records Iran's ancient history. Next week we will focus on the life and times of Roodaki.
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