Nizami Ganjavi

Written by : Whitetia



Have you ever eard about the immortal loves story of ‘layla and majnun’ which written by Nizami Ganjavi? The writer is one of the most popular poet writers in Azerbaijan (now Persia or Iran).
Abu Muhammad Ilyas Ibn Yusuf Ibn Zaki Muayyad is the original of pen-name of Nizami Ganjavi. He was born around 1141 in Ganja, the capital of Arran in Transcaucasian Azerbaijan. His mother, named Ra’isa was a Kurdish background and his father, whose name yusuf. Nizami had been left by his parents early in his life and he was brought up by his uncle Khwaja Umar, often referred to b the honorific Hakim (the sage). Nizami is both a learned poet and master of a lyrical and sensuous style. He lived in an age of both political instability and intense intellectual activity, which his poems reflect but little is known about his life, relation with his patrons or the precise datres of his works.
Nezami is best known for his five long narrative poems, which have been preserved and he dedicated his poems to various rules of the regions as was custom of that time for great poets but avoided court life. He was a master of the Masnawi style (double-rhymed verses). The Quinary includes the five Persian books of Nizami:
1.Makhzan Al-asrar “The Storehouses of Misteries” (1163)
2.Khusraw o Shirin “Khosrow and Shirin” (1177 – 1180)
3.Layli o Majnun “Layla and Majnun” (1192)
4.Haft Paykar “the seven Beauties” (1196)
5.Eskandar-nameh “the book of Alexander” (1196 – 1220)
One of Nizami’s work which inspired Shakespeare to create his phenomenal drama ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is an immortal love story of Majnun, a man which loved too much to his cousin, Layla, but prevented from marrying her and goes mad. Majnun and family move to the dessert and compose poems for his love Layla, who has been married to another man. Although they were never united in life, when the lovers pass away and they buried in the same grave.
The Nizami museum of literature was originally built in 1947 and located in Baku, Azerbaijan republic, tall cylindrical building and surrounded by gardens and there is metal statue commemorating Nizami’s epic poem. Nizami died in 1209 but there is no exactly reason of it, same as the way of his life which no authentic evidence.