2015 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 40-56
This article discusses the flowering of Persian literature under the patronage of the local Iranian ruler of Luristan, Hazaraspid Nuṣrat al-Dīn (r. 1296-1331/2), in the late Ilkhanid period. It is generally accepted that Persian literature evolved dramatically under the patronage of Ilkhanid rulers and senior officials. However, there is almost no research that deals with the contribution of local rulers to this evolution during the period. In this article, I introduce the case of Hazaraspid Nuṣrat al-Dīn and explain his significant role in this evolution.
Although the Hazaraspid dynasty lasted more than two centuries (1155/6-1424), because of the scarcity of historical chronicles, the details of the history of this dynasty remain unclear. However, through an investigation of literary works compiled in this dynasty, it is shown for the first time that Īdhaj, where the Hazaraspid court was located, was one of the cultural centers of the Ilkhanid domain, and attracted various scholars. They celebrated Nuṣrat al-Dīn in both prose and poetry, and the following five Persian literary works were compiled under his patronage: 1. Sharaf-i Qazwīnī’s al-Muʻjam fī Āthār Mulūk al-ʻAjam, 2. Sharaf-i Qazwīnī’s al-Tarassul al-Nuṣratīya, 3. Shams-i Fakhrī’s Miʻyār-i Nuṣratī, 4. Hindū-shāh’s Tajārib al-Salaf, and 5. the anonymous Tajārib al-Umam fī Akhbār Mulūk al-ʻAjam wa al-ʻArab. Most of them relate to the history of the ancient Persian dynasties or to the rhetoric of Persian prose and poetry.
In these works, Nuṣrat al-Dīn, who identified himself as a descendant of the legendary Persian Kayanid kings, was celebrated as an ideal ruler who combined the characteristics of an Iranian ruler and an Islamic ruler. While Nuṣrat al-Dīn accepted the suzerainty of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty, he justified his local power by emphasizing his character as an Iranian ruler, and patronized cultural activities for this purpose. Thus, the local rulers’ growing awareness of themselves as legitimate Iranian rulers under the Mongol domination contributed to the evolution of Persian literature.
