Who Is Orhan Pamuk? Orhan Pamuk, one of Turkey’s most prominent writers and professor at Columbia University, was born on June 7, 1952, in Istanbul. He is known for works that blend historical, cultural, and philosophical themes, often exploring the tensions between East and West, tradition and modernity. His major novels include The White Castle…
Tag: Persian art
Sultan Muhammad: The Court of Kayumars
“This sumptuous page, The Court of Gayumars (also spelled Kayumars— see top of page, details below and large image here), comes from an illuminated manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings)—an epic poem describing the history of kingship in Persia (what is now Iran). Because of its blending of painting styles from both Tabriz and Herat (see map below), its luminous…
Habiballah of Sava: Language of the Birds
“Language of the Birds” – 12th Century Language of the Birds (Persian: منطق الطیر, Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr, also known as مقامات الطیور Maqāmāt-uṭ-Ṭuyūr; 1177), is a mystical twelfth century Persian literary masterpiece by poet Farid ud-Din Attarin, commonly known as Attar of Nishapur. The poem title, which is in Arabic, is taken directly from the Qur’an, 27:16,…
Firdawsi: Gayumarth from the Shahnameh
What is the Shahnameh? “The seminal work of Persian literature is the Shahnameh, an epic poem that recounts the history of pre-Islamic Persia or Iranshahr (Greater Iran). The Shahnameh contains 62 stories, told in 990 chapters with 50,000 rhyming couplets. It is divided into three parts—the mythical, heroic, and historical ages. Written in modern Persian,…
At Sunnyside - Where Truth and Beauty Meet 