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The Iskandarnameh, not to be confused with the Iskandarnameh of Nizami, is the oldest Persian recension of the Alexander Romance tradition, anonymous and dated to some time between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, although recently its compilation has been placed in the eleventh century by Evangelos Venetis, during the reign of Mahmud of Ghazni in the court of the Ghaznavid Empire. This may have been followed by two stages of recompilation which helped to propagate the mode of rulership of Mahmud. Alexander is described as a Muslim king and prophet and is identified with the conqueror named Dhu al-Qarnayn in the Quran. This identification is also witnessed in the Arabic recensions of the Alexander romance, such as the Qissat al-Iskandar and the Qissat Dhulqarnayn. As such, he is double-horned and builds the famous Gates of Alexander against Gog and Magog.
The Hadīth Dhī ʾl-Qarnayn, also known as the Leyenda de Alejandro, is an anonymous Hispano-Arabic legend of Alexander the Great. It dates to the 15th century.
The Iskandarnameh is a poetic production in the Alexander Romance tradition authored by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi that describes Alexander the Great as an idealized hero, sage, and king. More uniquely, he is also a seeker of knowledge who debates with great philosophers Greek and Indian philosophers, one of them being Plato.
The Ayina-i Iskandarī is a Persian legend of the life and exploits of Alexander the Great composed by the poet Amir Khusrau, completed in 1299/1300 during the reign of Muhammad II of Khwarazm. It is presented in the form of 35 discourses, running at 4,416 verses in the 1977 edition of the text produced by Jamâl Mirsaydof. Like his predecessor Nizami Ganjavi, Amir Khusrau's Alexander legend formed the fourth part of his Khamsa, and it was the first response to Nizami's Iskandarnameh. The text expresses a wish for the peace and stability brought about by Alexander as opposed to the period of instability and political turnover of his own time, and makes frequent reference to the "second Alexander" as a means of addressing his ruler Muhammad II, who assumed that title for himself during his reign.
The Kherad-nâme-ye Eskandari of Abd-al-Rahmân Jâmi is a piece of Persian literature which existed as an heir to the tradition of the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi. It constitutes the final book of Jami's larger seven-book composition, his Haft Awrang. More specifically, it focuses on legends of Alexander the Great as recounted in Nizami's Iskandarnameh and ultimately in the tradition of the Alexander Romance genre of literature. Jami's representation of the genre offers his readers a spiritual reflection on Alexander's journeys interspersed with long philosophical meditations exemplified through short anecdotes (hekâyat). As with other Islamic authors of this era, Alexander is ultimately identified with Dhu al-Qarnayn in his construction of the eastern wall against Gog and Magog.
The Ayina-i Iskandari of Ahli Shirazi is a Persian courtly version of the Alexander Romance literature, completed in 1543.
The Sadd-i Iskandarī was composed by Ali-Shir Nava'i (1441–1501) in the second half of the fifteenth century. It is the only rendition of the Alexander Romance in Chagatai Turkish. Alexander legends did exist in other forms of Turkish though, such as Taceddin Ahmedi's Iskendername.
References
- ↑ Wiesehöfer, Josef (2011-01-01), "Chapter Five. The 'Accursed' And The 'Adventurer': Alexander The Great In Iranian Tradition", A Companion to Alexander Literature in the Middle Ages, Brill, pp. 113–132, doi:10.1163/ej.9789004183452.i-410.56, ISBN 978-90-04-21193-3 , retrieved 2024-03-11
- ↑ Yamanaka, Yuriko (1999). "Ambiguïté de l'image d'Alexandre chez Ferdowsī: les traces des traditions sassanides dans le Livre des Rois". Alexandre le Grand dans les littératures. Paris. pp. 341–353.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - 1 2 Nawotka, Krzysztof (2018-04-26), "Syriac and Persian Versions of the Alexander Romance", Brill's Companion to the Reception of Alexander the Great, Brill, pp. 525–542, doi:10.1163/9789004359932_022, ISBN 978-90-04-35993-2 , retrieved 2024-03-25
- ↑ Casari, Mario (2023). "The Alexander Legend in Persian Literature". In Ashtiany, Mohsen (ed.). Persian narrative poetry in the classical era, 800-1500: romantic and didactic genres. A history of Persian literature / founding editor - Ehsan Yarshater. London New York Oxford New Delhi Sydney: I.B. Tauris. pp. 443–461. ISBN 978-1-78673-664-2.
- ↑ Asif, Manan Ahmed (2016). A book of conquest: the Chachnama and Muslim origins in South Asia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-674-66011-3.
- ↑ Casari, Mario (2023). "The Alexander Legend in Persian Literature". In Ashtiany, Mohsen (ed.). Persian narrative poetry in the classical era, 800-1500: romantic and didactic genres. A history of Persian literature / founding editor - Ehsan Yarshater. London New York Oxford New Delhi Sydney: I.B. Tauris. pp. 491–504. ISBN 978-1-78673-664-2.