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Collection of Nezami’s
Panj Ganj
Inscribed 2011
What is it
Five separate manuscript copies of Panj Ganj, a collection
of five versified stories in Persian, attributed to the
medieval Persian poet Nezami Ganjavi and gathered
together in one volume.
Why was it inscribed
Also known as Khamseh, the work is a renowned
masterpiece of Persian literature. Its style proved
hugely influential, providing a model for later
versified storytellers to follow as well as inspiration
for Persian artists.
Where is it
Sepahsalar Library, Sepahsalar School, Tehran, Iran;
Golestan Palace, Tehran, Iran; National Museum of
Iran, Tehran, Iran; Malek National Library and Museum,
Tehran, Iran; Central Library and document centre of the
University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Panj Ganj means ‘Five Treasures’, a reference to the five
separate tales within the collection, all of which are derived
from recognized narratives in Persian literature. The
collection is believed to be the work of Nezami Ganjavi
(1133–1222) who lived at a time when the narrative poetry
form in Persia was at its height. The five stories take
the form of long poems versified in rhyming couplets
(mathnavi in Persian) and retell the most famous and
popular romantic stories from Persia.
The first of the five stories is Makhzan al-Asrar (Treasury
of Secrets). It has 2263 couplets and 20 essays, each telling
a single story expressive of the poet’s inner state and the
importance of the acquisition of self-knowledge. Khosrow
and Shirin has 6512 couplets relating one of the bestknown
Persian love stories – the story of Khosrow Parviz,
the Sasanid king of Iran, and Shirin, an Armenian princess.
Layli and Majnoon, written in AD 1188 after Khosrow and
Shirin, relates a story of unhappy love over 4718 couplets.
The section acknowledged as the finest in Panj Ganj
is Haft Paykar (Seven Bodies), a poem in 5136 couplets
recounting the story of a Sasanid king, Bahram Goor,
together with seven stories that seven princesses narrated
120 Collection of Nezami’s Panj Ganj
� Pages from the manuscripts
for the king in seven palaces. Finally, Eskandar Nameh
(The Tale of Alexander) tells the story of Alexander the Great
and his wars, with philosophical reflections and advice in
two parts comprising 10,500 couplets.
The work was written during the rule of the Saljuqid
dynasty, noted for their patronage of the arts and
particularly of poetry, literature and language. Although
written around 850 years ago, the poems remain easily
comprehensible and enduringly popular with modern-day
Persian speakers. Panj Ganj remains a masterpiece of its
genre and is enduringly influential. The work has also been
translated into the major European and Asian languages.
Many manuscripts of the tales exist, but the five listed
are exceptional for several reasons, including the quality of
the artistry, the quality of the calligraphy, associations with
royal libraries and a dated inscription of the year 1318 on
one, making it the oldest known version.
An image of the author Nezami from an Azerbaijani banknote �