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Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Ferdowsi

There are a few pieces of literature that can pride themselves on being masterpieces like the 鈥楤ook of Kings’ written by Ferdowsi. Even though it was written a millennium ago, it is still well appreciated by literature enthusiasts and especially Iranians. This is because they feel that the book shaped their identity as a nation and should therefore be valued.

This article will look into some fascinating facts about the author of the book so that we can give the reader a deeper insight into the life of a person that was instrumental in shaping the identity of the country. Furthermore, the article is critical in providing additional information that the reader may not have had on Ferdowsi.

1 We are not sure what his real name was

Ferdowsi is known as Abu al-Qasem Tousi but strange as it may sound, it is not his name. We are not sure what his real name was. Abu al-Qasem is the patronymic name of the author of the Book of Kings. The name means 鈥渢he father of al-Qasem鈥�. Ferdowsi means paradise and Tousi is the name of his native city.

2 His family

Ferdowsi was born in 940 into a family of Iranian landowners, also known as dehqans in the village of Paj, near the city of Tus, in the Samanid Empire’s Khorasan region, which is now known as the Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran.

 Little is known about Ferdowsi’s childhood. The poet had a wife, who was most likely literate and from the same landowners class as him. He had a son, who died at the age of 37, and the poet mourned him in an elegy that he inserted into the Shahnameh. 

3 His book talks about the history of Iranian kings

The Book of Kings written by Ferdowsi tells the reader of the mythical and fascinating history of the Iranian kings. He also talks about the Arab conquest of Iranian in the mid-seventh century AD. Furthermore, the book gives a deeper insight into the historical, religious and cultural tapestry where different facets of medieval Iranian culture are interconnected. Therefore, it gives perspective into how life was during ancient times and what has been improved from that time.

4 His book has been translated into different languages

The Book of Kings has been translated into different languages which means that someone who cannot read and understand Persian can also get a chance to interact with the piece of literature. The book has been fully or partially translated into different languages.

The book was translated to English by G. Warner and E. Warner from 1905 to 1923 in London. This is the only complete translated version in English. There is also a French translation done by Jules Mohl. It is also the complete prose translation of the book in French. The German translation was done by F. R眉ckert who is a famous poet. The Russian version is aesthetically pleasing and it was done by Ts. B. Bani-Lahuti.

5 His life as a poet

Ferdowsi may have written some early poems that have not survived. Around 977, he began work on the Shahnameh as a continuation of the work of his fellow poet Daqiqi, who had been assassinated by his slave. Ferdowsi, like Daqiqi, drew inspiration from Abd-al-prose Razzq’s Shahnameh. He was generously patronized by Samanid prince Mansur and finished the first version of the Shahnameh in 994.  

Ferdowsi continued to work on the poem after the Turkic Ghaznavids overthrew the Samanids in the late 990s, rewriting sections to praise the Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud. Mahmud’s attitude toward Ferdowsi and how well he rewarded the poet have long been disputed and have formed the basis of legends.

6 He was Muslim

The author was a Shiite Muslim which is clearly seen from the 艩膩h-n膩ma itself and supported by early records. As of late as that may be, several scholars have given occasion to feel the qualms of his religion. He believed that everything that happens to an individual whether it is great or small is through the will of God and any confidence in the amiable is a disparagement of the unicity, truth and might of God.

7 It took him thirty-three years to write the book of kings

Ferdowsi took thirty-three years to write the Book of Kings. This can be attributed to the fact that the book talks about a lot of things concerning Iranian history which required a lot of research and thus took a lot of time to complete it. Ferdowsi explores how the culture and the history of Iran shaped how the country governed itself.

8 He had a conflict with a sultan

After writing the Book of Kings, Ferdowsi presented his work to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni who was the ruler of Khorasan as per the traditions of his era. The Sultan and his entourage doubted the importance of his work and this deeply offended Ferdowsi.

The conflict between the Sultan and Ferdowsi forced him to leave his homeland and moved to Heart and the Mezendaran. Following public outcry, the sultan sent for Ferdowsi to be brought back. He sent his entourage with gifts on camels but it is believed that the author died before the camels arrived and his daughter inherited the gifts that had been brought to her father.  She used the inheritance to build a bridge where travellers could stop and tell stories

9 He did not have formal education

The author did not acquire any formal training in the sciences of his era and particularly one in academic philosophy. However, he was a sensibly taught individual in such matters. This is interesting in that even though he did not have any formal training in the sciences of his time, he was able to articulate different topics about Iranian history and culture.

10 His tomb

Ferdowsi was buried in his garden after a local cleric forbade burial in Tus’s cemetery. A Ghaznavid governor of Khorasan built a mausoleum over the grave, which became a sacred site. The tomb, which had fallen into disrepair, was rebuilt on Reza Shah’s orders between 1928 and 1934 by the Society for the National Heritage of Iran and has since become the equivalent of a national shrine.