Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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The manuscript of Ubayd
Zakoni’s Kulliyat and Hafez
Sherozi’s Gazalliyt (XIV century)
Inscribed 2003
What is it
A unique manuscript featuring the works of two famous
Tajik-Persian poets.
Why was it inscribed
This rare and unique manuscript is a notable example
of classic Tajik-Persian literature and oriental culture
in general.
Where is it
Institute of the Written Heritage of the Academy
of Sciences, Tajikistan
Ubayd Zakoni was a Persian poet and satirist of the
14th century. His work is noted for its satire and obscene
verses, many of which contain homosexual allusions
that have often been censored. Originally from the city
of Qazvin, he studied in Shiraz, where he became one
of the most accomplished men of letters of his time and
a court poet for Shah Abu Ishaq. Also present in Shiraz
was the young Hafez Sherozi.
110 The manuscript of Ubayd Zakoni’s Kulliyat and Hafez Sherozi’s Gazalliyt
Hafez Sherozi was a Persian lyric poet whose collected
works are often found in the homes of Persian speakers
in Iran and Afghanistan. His poems are frequently learnt
by heart and used as proverbs and sayings. Hafez was
acclaimed throughout the Islamic world during his
lifetime, with other Persian poets imitating his work, and
offered patronage from Baghdad to India. Today, he is
the most popular poet in Iran and most libraries in India,
Pakistan and Iran contain his works. Much later, the work
of Hafez would leave a mark on such Western writers as
Thoreau, Goethe and Ralph Waldo Emerson – the latter
referring to him as ‘a poet’s poet’.
This unique joint manuscript consists of two parts: the
complete works (‘Kulliyat’) of Ubayd Zakoni and Hafez’s
work Gazalliyt. This is the most ancient version of this
manuscript and the only one of its kind. It was re-written
in 1405 only thirty-five years after the death of Ubayd
Zakoni and nine years after the death of Hafez Sherozi.
The manuscript has a unique design with Hafez’s poems
inscribed around Ubayd Zakoni’s text.
The Tajiks are one of the ancient native populations
of Central Asia and Afghanistan who, over thousands
of years, created a rich literary and spiritual culture.
Notable writers and scientists from this civilisation include
Avicenna, Ferdowsi, Rumi and Omar Khayyam. This rare
manuscript is a notable example of classic Tajik-Persian
literature and oriental culture in general.
The region these poets lived and worked in has
historically been a place of social meeting and intellectual
interaction between East and West. The national cultural
and spiritual heritage of Tajik-Persian literature has had a
wide influence on world history and literature. From the
18th century, Western writers began to discover many Tajik-
Persian masterpieces and they featured in several famous
works, including Goethe’s West–Eastern Divan, Hugo’s
Eastern Motives, Montesquieu’s Persian Letters, Heine’s
Poet Firdausi and Esenin’s Persian Motives among others.
� Calligraphy of a poem by Hafez
Illustration of a country meal, from
a Hafez manuscript on the subject of love. �