Zahiri al Samarqandi, Sindbadnama - Revision history

Bonsall: Replacing embedded stories

2026-03-13T11:30:48Z

Replacing embedded stories

Noeth at 13:43, 18 February 2026

2026-02-18T13:43:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:43, 18 February 2026
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	\|Has Islamic Date Of Text Composition=c.550		\|Has Islamic Date Of Text Composition=c.550
	\|Has Modern Research Literature=Clouston, W. A. The Book of Sindibād; Honar, A.M; Persian Verses and Proverbs in Sandbadnameh; Mecmûa-i Maḳālât-ı Mütâlaʿât-ı İslâmî II, Tahran, 1999; Hoffmann, A. Cats and Dogs, Manliness, and Misogyny: On the Sindbad-nameh as World Literature; Persian Literature as World Literature, 2021; Perry, Ben Edwin; The Origin of the Book of Sindbad Fabula 3 (1960): 1–94; Weinstein, Laura S. " Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda; PhD diss., Columbia University, New York, 2011.; Zakeri, Mohsen; Ẓahīrī of Samarqand’s ‘Sindbādnāma’. A Mirror for Princes." In Die ‚Sieben weisen Meister‘ als globale Erzähltradition/The ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ as a Global Narrative Tradition, 172–188		\|Has Modern Research Literature=Clouston, W. A. The Book of Sindibād; Honar, A.M; Persian Verses and Proverbs in Sandbadnameh; Mecmûa-i Maḳālât-ı Mütâlaʿât-ı İslâmî II, Tahran, 1999; Hoffmann, A. Cats and Dogs, Manliness, and Misogyny: On the Sindbad-nameh as World Literature; Persian Literature as World Literature, 2021; Perry, Ben Edwin; The Origin of the Book of Sindbad Fabula 3 (1960): 1–94; Weinstein, Laura S. " Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda; PhD diss., Columbia University, New York, 2011.; Zakeri, Mohsen; Ẓahīrī of Samarqand’s ‘Sindbādnāma’. A Mirror for Princes." In Die ‚Sieben weisen Meister‘ als globale Erzähltradition/The ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ as a Global Narrative Tradition, 172–188
	~~\|Has Text Language=Persian~~
	\|Has Note=For digital access, see https://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etca/iran/niran/npers/sindbad/sindb.htm?sindb029.htm		\|Has Note=For digital access, see https://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etca/iran/niran/npers/sindbad/sindb.htm?sindb029.htm
	}}		}}

Noeth at 13:42, 18 February 2026

2026-02-18T13:42:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:42, 18 February 2026
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	\|Has Modern Research Literature=Clouston, W. A. The Book of Sindibād; Honar, A.M; Persian Verses and Proverbs in Sandbadnameh; Mecmûa-i Maḳālât-ı Mütâlaʿât-ı İslâmî II, Tahran, 1999; Hoffmann, A. Cats and Dogs, Manliness, and Misogyny: On the Sindbad-nameh as World Literature; Persian Literature as World Literature, 2021; Perry, Ben Edwin; The Origin of the Book of Sindbad Fabula 3 (1960): 1–94; Weinstein, Laura S. " Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda; PhD diss., Columbia University, New York, 2011.; Zakeri, Mohsen; Ẓahīrī of Samarqand’s ‘Sindbādnāma’. A Mirror for Princes." In Die ‚Sieben weisen Meister‘ als globale Erzähltradition/The ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ as a Global Narrative Tradition, 172–188		\|Has Modern Research Literature=Clouston, W. A. The Book of Sindibād; Honar, A.M; Persian Verses and Proverbs in Sandbadnameh; Mecmûa-i Maḳālât-ı Mütâlaʿât-ı İslâmî II, Tahran, 1999; Hoffmann, A. Cats and Dogs, Manliness, and Misogyny: On the Sindbad-nameh as World Literature; Persian Literature as World Literature, 2021; Perry, Ben Edwin; The Origin of the Book of Sindbad Fabula 3 (1960): 1–94; Weinstein, Laura S. " Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda; PhD diss., Columbia University, New York, 2011.; Zakeri, Mohsen; Ẓahīrī of Samarqand’s ‘Sindbādnāma’. A Mirror for Princes." In Die ‚Sieben weisen Meister‘ als globale Erzähltradition/The ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ as a Global Narrative Tradition, 172–188
	\|Has Text Language=Persian		\|Has Text Language=Persian
	}}
	~~{{Version~~
	\|Has Note=For digital access, see https://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etca/iran/niran/npers/sindbad/sindb.htm?sindb029.htm		\|Has Note=For digital access, see https://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etca/iran/niran/npers/sindbad/sindb.htm?sindb029.htm
	}}		}}

Watkins at 23:39, 8 February 2026

2026-02-08T23:39:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:39, 8 February 2026
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	As a ''kātib'', al-Samarqandī composed in a polished, rhythmic prose (''nasr musajjaʿ'') characteristic of contemporary chancery style and high literary ''adab''. The language operates within a carefully modulated classical Persian register, avoiding both the colloquial and the excessively ornate, whilst skilfully imitating the rhetorical styles of other genres (historiography, Ghazal poetry, natural philosophy, fiqh) at different points, and blanketing the underlying text with a range of quotations and allusions from the conventional (the Quran, the Hadiths), to the heterodox (Ismaili devotional literature) to the borderline blasphemous (Zoroastrian cosmogonies and Pahlavi Andarz literature). This rhetorical choice signifies a deliberate move from the earlier, presumably more functional Samanid translation of Fanaruzi toward a text designed for courtly consumption and pedagogical utility. The prose serves as a vehicle for embedding narrative within a framework of ethical instruction, its cadence and clarity facilitating memorization and recitation, key aspects of its didactic function.		As a ''kātib'', al-Samarqandī composed in a polished, rhythmic prose (''nasr musajjaʿ'') characteristic of contemporary chancery style and high literary ''adab''. The language operates within a carefully modulated classical Persian register, avoiding both the colloquial and the excessively ornate, whilst skilfully imitating the rhetorical styles of other genres (historiography, Ghazal poetry, natural philosophy, fiqh) at different points, and blanketing the underlying text with a range of quotations and allusions from the conventional (the Quran, the Hadiths), to the heterodox (Ismaili devotional literature) to the borderline blasphemous (Zoroastrian cosmogonies and Pahlavi Andarz literature). This rhetorical choice signifies a deliberate move from the earlier, presumably more functional Samanid translation of Fanaruzi toward a text designed for courtly consumption and pedagogical utility. The prose serves as a vehicle for embedding narrative within a framework of ethical instruction, its cadence and clarity facilitating memorization and recitation, key aspects of its didactic function.

	A significant departure in al-Samarqandī’s version is its systematic attenuation of the “Wiles of Women” (''makr al-nisāʾ'') motif, which earlier commentators like al-Yaʿqūbī explicitly linked to the ''Sindbād'' corpus. While retaining the core frame ~~narrative—a~~ prince silenced, a malicious queen, and seven viziers delivering exculpatory tales - al-Samarqandī recalibrates the thematic center of gravity. The embedded narratives are curated to address a wider spectrum of princely conduct: the fallibility of judgment, the importance of counsel (''andarz''), the deciphering of signs, the nature of loyalty, and the operations of chance (''dahr''). Female guile becomes one contingency among many within a broader political ontology focused on the vulnerability of the sovereign to deception and the necessity of forensic reason. This shift aligns the text more closely with the generic conventions of Indo-Persian wisdom literature (''andarz-nāmah, pand-nāmah'') and mirrors-for-princes, effectively distancing it from the potentially narrower, misogynistic story-collection tradition.		A significant departure in al-Samarqandī’s version is its systematic attenuation of the “Wiles of Women” (''makr al-nisāʾ'') motif, which earlier commentators like al-Yaʿqūbī explicitly linked to the ''Sindbād'' corpus. While retaining the core frame narrative - a prince silenced, a malicious queen, and seven viziers delivering exculpatory tales - al-Samarqandī recalibrates the thematic center of gravity. The embedded narratives are curated to address a wider spectrum of princely conduct: the fallibility of judgment, the importance of counsel (''andarz''), the deciphering of signs, the nature of loyalty, and the operations of chance (''dahr''). Female guile becomes one contingency among many within a broader political ontology focused on the vulnerability of the sovereign to deception and the necessity of forensic reason. This shift aligns the text more closely with the generic conventions of Indo-Persian wisdom literature (''andarz-nāmah, pand-nāmah'') and mirrors-for-princes, effectively distancing it from the potentially narrower, misogynistic story-collection tradition.

	The recension standardizes a structure of 21 tales: ten accusations from the queen, ten defenses from the viziers (distributed among the seven), and the prince’s concluding narrative. This symmetrical, dialogic format transforms the text into a forensic dramatization of counsel, where each story functions as a piece of evidence within a life-or-death rhetorical contest. The selection of tales privileges plots hinging on interpretation, deduction, and the revelation of hidden truths—a narrative embodiment of ''ʿaql'' (intellect) overcoming ''hawā'' (passion) and ''ghish'' (deceit). The integration of tale and frame is taut; each narrative is diegetically motivated as a direct argument within the prince’s trial, reinforcing the overarching didactic premise that wisdom is performative and situational. This structural rigor facilitated the text’s utility as a pedagogical instrument for statecraft, wherein narrative exempla model the cognitive processes required for just rule.		The recension standardizes a structure of 21 tales: ten accusations from the queen, ten defenses from the viziers (distributed among the seven), and the prince’s concluding narrative. This symmetrical, dialogic format transforms the text into a forensic dramatization of counsel, where each story functions as a piece of evidence within a life-or-death rhetorical contest. The selection of tales privileges plots hinging on interpretation, deduction, and the revelation of hidden truths—a narrative embodiment of ''ʿaql'' (intellect) overcoming ''hawā'' (passion) and ''ghish'' (deceit). The integration of tale and frame is taut; each narrative is diegetically motivated as a direct argument within the prince’s trial, reinforcing the overarching didactic premise that wisdom is performative and situational. This structural rigor facilitated the text’s utility as a pedagogical instrument for statecraft, wherein narrative exempla model the cognitive processes required for just rule.
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	\|Has Date Of Text Composition=c.1150		\|Has Date Of Text Composition=c.1150
	\|Has Islamic Date Of Text Composition=c.550		\|Has Islamic Date Of Text Composition=c.550
	\|Has Modern Research Literature=Clouston, W. A. The Book of Sindibād~~; or, the Story of the King, His Son, the Damsel, and the Seven Vazīrs. [Glasgow], 1874.~~; Honar, A.M; Persian Verses and Proverbs in Sandbadnameh; Mecmûa-i Maḳālât-ı Mütâlaʿât-ı İslâmî II, Tahran, 1999; Hoffmann, A. Cats and Dogs, Manliness, and Misogyny: On the Sindbad-nameh as World Literature; Persian Literature as World Literature, 2021; Perry, Ben Edwin; The Origin of the Book of Sindbad Fabula 3 (1960): 1–94; Weinstein, Laura S. " Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda; PhD diss., Columbia University, New York, 2011.; Zakeri, Mohsen; Ẓahīrī of Samarqand’s ‘Sindbādnāma’. A Mirror for Princes." In Die ‚Sieben weisen Meister‘ als globale Erzähltradition/The ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ as a Global Narrative Tradition, 172–188		\|Has Modern Research Literature=Clouston, W. A. The Book of Sindibād; Honar, A.M; Persian Verses and Proverbs in Sandbadnameh; Mecmûa-i Maḳālât-ı Mütâlaʿât-ı İslâmî II, Tahran, 1999; Hoffmann, A. Cats and Dogs, Manliness, and Misogyny: On the Sindbad-nameh as World Literature; Persian Literature as World Literature, 2021; Perry, Ben Edwin; The Origin of the Book of Sindbad Fabula 3 (1960): 1–94; Weinstein, Laura S. " Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda; PhD diss., Columbia University, New York, 2011.; Zakeri, Mohsen; Ẓahīrī of Samarqand’s ‘Sindbādnāma’. A Mirror for Princes." In Die ‚Sieben weisen Meister‘ als globale Erzähltradition/The ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ as a Global Narrative Tradition, 172–188
	~~\|Has Modern Edition=Al-Ẓahīrī al-Samarqandī, Muḥammad b. ‘Alī b. Muḥammad b. Ḥasan. Sindbādh- nāme [written ca. 556/1161]. Ed. Ahmed Ateş. Istanbul 1948.~~
	\|Has Text Language=Persian		\|Has Text Language=Persian
	}}		}}

Watkins at 23:38, 8 February 2026

2026-02-08T23:38:30Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Secondary Version
 |Has Parent Version=Persian Sindbadnama
 |Has Branch Of Tradition=Book of Sindbad
 }}

Watkins at 18:57, 8 February 2026

2026-02-08T18:57:52Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:57, 8 February 2026
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			{{Version
			\|Has Note=For digital access, see https://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etca/iran/niran/npers/sindbad/sindb.htm?sindb029.htm
			}}
	{{Secondary Version		{{Secondary Version
	\|Has Parent Version=Persian Sindbadnama		\|Has Parent Version=Persian Sindbadnama
	\|Has Branch Of Tradition=Book of Sindbad		\|Has Branch Of Tradition=Book of Sindbad
	}}		}}

Bonsall at 11:16, 5 February 2026

2026-02-05T11:16:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:16, 5 February 2026
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	{{Secondary Version		{{Secondary Version
	\|Has Parent Version=Persian Sindbadnama		\|Has Parent Version=Persian Sindbadnama
			\|Has Branch Of Tradition=Book of Sindbad
	}}		}}

Bonsall at 14:10, 14 January 2026

2026-01-14T14:10:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:10, 14 January 2026
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	{{Secondary Version}}		{{Secondary Version
			\|Has Parent Version=Persian Sindbadnama
			}}

Bonsall: Created page with "{{Secondary Version}}"

2026-01-14T14:09:02Z

Created page with "{{Secondary Version}}"

New page