Dissertation
Poetry and power: the appreciation of the verse in Seljuq and Ilkhanid chronicles : the case of Rāḥat al-Ṣudūr and Jāmiʿ al-Tavārīkh
On Wednesday 20 November 2024 Sara Mirahmadi successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.
- Author
- Mirahmadi, S.
- Date
- 20 November 2024
- Links
- Leiden Repository
In 13th and 14th century Iran, poetry and historiography were closely intertwined, with historical works often incorporating verses for various purposes like teaching lessons or legitimizing rulers. However, modern scholars tend to study these fields separately. This study explores the integration of poetry and history in two works from different eras. The first, Rāḥat al-Ṣudūr va Āyat al-Surūr by ʿAlī ibn Sulaymān al-Rāvandī (13th century), legitimizes the Seljuq dynasty by comparing celestial imagery to the sultan’s court and drawing connections to ancient Iranian kings through poetic verses. The second, Jāmiʿ al-Tavārīkh by Rashīd al-Dīn Fażl Allāh (14th century), similarly uses poetry to link the Mongol rulers to ancient Iranian kings by invoking the concept of farr (divine mandate). Both authors, in their works, use poetry not just for embellishment but as a powerful tool to legitimize the ruling dynasties of their time.
Supervisor: Prof.dr. G.R. van den Berg
Co-supervisor: Dr. E. Paskaleva