Illustrated manuscripts of Diwan of Hafiz produced during the Safavid period (1501-1722)
Date
1987
Authors
Neyestani, Nasrin Rohani
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Abstract
Shams al-Din Muhammad, commonly known as Khwajeh Hafiz-i-Shirazi, was born in the early fourteenth century, lived a relatively turbulent life, and died in the city of Shiraz near the end of the century. Like many of his Iranian contemporaries, Hafiz was a Muslim mystic or sufi. His book of poems or Diwan with its allegoric.al poems and verses is clear proof of his adherence to this branch of Islam. Unlike many of his fellow poets, however, Hafiz was against pretentious religious practices. He voiced his opinion boldly through the medium of his poetry. Religious leaders did not appreciate his forwardness and condemned his poems as heretical. The Diwan of Hafiz did not enjoy the same popularity as works by his fellow poets, nor was it extensively illustrated until the sixteenth century when the advent of the Safavid dynasty brought about a shift in political and religious policies.
The Safavid dynasty ruled Iran for more than two centuries and established (Ithna 'Ashari) Shi'ism as the state religion. The Safavid shahs regarded themselves (and were regarded by the Shi'a populace) as the representatives on earth of the Twelfth Imam, who had disappeared in 878 A. D,, who, though in occulation, was believed to be still alive, and who expected to return at the Last Judgement as the Mahdi to institute perfect government. Accordingly, the shah was often referred to theologically as the (Murshid-i Kamil) or (Perfect Guide) of the people. The shahs claimed that their House was descended from the seventh Shi'a Imam, Musa al-Kazim, and through him from 'Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Shi 'a Imam. They also asserted that the third Imam , al - Husayn, (defeated in battle and killed at Kerbala by the 'Umayyad caliph Yazid in 680 A . D. , a martyrdom that is to this day a focal point of Shi 'a piety), had married the daughter of the last Sasanid king , Yazdigird III, and the concept of "kingly glory was combined with that of religious sanctity and martyrdom . The three major Safavid Shahs , Shah Isma'il I (1501 -24) , Shah Tahmasp (1524-76), and Shah 'Abbas I (1588-1629) , were competent rulers who not only expanded Iran's frontiers, helped its economy to flourish , and increased its foreign power, but also promoted art and literature. It was during this period that the Diwan of Hafiz gained and enjoyed relative popularity and support. However, with the exception of the manuscript of the Diwan of Hafiz produced around 1527 for Sam Mirza, Shah Tahmasp's brother, no other copies of the Diwan were officially produced by the court atelier. It was in lesser art centers , like Mashhad and Shiraz, and through the support of humbler patrons that the Diwan of Hafiz was appreciated and copied. Six unpublished manuscripts chosen from the Topkapi Museum for this thesis are ample proof of this fact.