The Year of the Great Writer Nizami Ganjavi: “Khamsa” and Heroic-Romantic Poetry That Changed the World
By the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the year 2021 was declared the Year of the great poet Nizami Ganjavi. This was not a coincidence, as that year marked the 880th anniversary of the birth of the great literary figure.
The great poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi lived and created during the 12th–13th centuries in Ganja, one of the ancient and prominent cities of Azerbaijan. At that time, Ganja was considered one of the cultural centers of the region. Nizami laid the foundation for a great literary school, enriched global poetic and philosophical thought with his numerous followers, and gained worldwide recognition.
Nizami was justified in calling himself a magician of words. His language differs from that of other poets and writers — he is distinguished by his use of unusual expressions when describing the emotions and actions of his characters. Nizami’s famous Khamsa — a series of five poems collectively known as “The Quintet” — is considered a monument of Persian literature, but it is also regarded as a jewel of Azerbaijani poetry. The five works included in Khamsa are collectively called Panj Ganj, meaning “Five Treasures.”
~
The Treasury of Mysteries
The poem The Treasury of Mysteries is written in a Sufi spirit. The work consists of twenty chapters, each of which is a treatise dedicated to religious and ethical themes. The poem discusses spiritual and practical issues, promotes justice, and denounces hypocrisy. The main part of the work is composed of twenty “Conversations.” The first conversation is about the creation of the world and humanity. Nizami believes that love lies at the foundation of the creation of the world. In the following conversations, he calls for justice and truth.
The Treasury of Mysteries is not a romantic work; it has a rhetorical-poetic character, which distinguishes it from Nizami’s other poems.
~
Khosrow and Shirin
The first poem of the Khamsa is Khosrow and Shirin. For this work, Nizami drew inspiration from Fakhr al-Din As’ad Gurgani’s poem Vis and Ramin. Khosrow and Shirin stands out in Persian literature as the first poem with structural completeness. Combining several literary genres, the work possesses a complex composition. If the reader is unaware of the poem’s Sufi essence, the vivid depictions of emotions may simply be perceived as an ordinary love story — whereas, in reality, it points to divine love.
Leyli and Majnun
At the heart of this poem, based on an ancient Arab legend, lies the tragic love story of a young man named Qays, known as Majnun, and the beautiful Leyli. Nizami’s Leyli and Majnun is the most famous poetic rendition of this legend in the Persian language. The work belongs to the “‘Udri” genre and centers around the theme of unrequited love. In the poem, historical figures and fictional characters are interwoven.
Nizami introduced many innovations in the work, transferring the events to an urban setting and enriching it with Persian motifs and vivid descriptions of nature.
[Click here to watch Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s opera Leyli and Majnun, starring Zeynab Khanlarova and Arif Babayev in the leading roles, recorded in 1978.]
~
Seven Beauties
The title of the poem Seven Beauties can be translated as both “seven portraits” and “seven beauties” — here, the poet uses a play on words to convey the multilayered meaning of the name. The work is based on historical events and legends about Bahram Gur (Bahram V), a ruler of the Sasanian dynasty. Half of the poem consists of stories told by Bahram’s seven wives — seven princesses. Each princess resides in a different palace, and each palace is dedicated to a planet, a day of the week, and a specific color.
[Click here to watch the ballet film based on the poem Seven Beauties by Gara Garayev. Libretto and choreography by: Rafiqa Akhundova, conductor: Rauf Abdullayev, 1982.]
~
Iskandarnama
Nizami’s Iskandarnama can be translated as “The Book of Alexander.” The poem stands out for its profound philosophical content. The main character—Alexander the Great (Iskandar of Macedonia)—is portrayed as an ideal ruler who fights for justice.
The poem consists of two parts: Sharafnama describes Alexander’s life and heroic deeds, while Iqbalnama presents him as both a philosopher and a prophet. In the first part, he conquers the world; in the second, he reflects on the futility of these conquests.
Nizami’s works continue to adorn the world’s most prestigious libraries and museums today and have played a vital role in the development of Eastern miniature art. In Baku—the city where Nizami spent most of his life—statues dedicated to the heroines of Seven Beauties have been erected. In Shaki, one of Azerbaijan’s ancient cities, the main hall of the Shaki Khans’ Palace is also decorated with portraits of the Khamsa heroes.
Footage of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, visiting the monument to Nizami Ganjavi in the famous “Villa Borghese” park in Rome.
Author: Mehin Huseynli
