Baba Tahir of Hamedan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cover from a lacquer mirror case with multiple scenes, school of Mohammad Esmail Esfahani; the top scene depicts Baba Tahir with disciples. Created in Qajar Iran, dated c. 1855-60 | |
| Mystic Poet | |
| Born | c. 11th century Hamadan, Iran |
| Died | c. 11th century Hamadan, Iran |
| Venerated in | Islam |
| Major shrine | Hamadan, Iran |
| Influences | Ferdowsi, Sanai, Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, Mansur Al-Hallaj, Abu-Sa'id Abul-Khayr, Bayazid Bastami |
| Influenced | Rumi, Hafez, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Nizami Ganjavi, and many other later mystic poets |
Tradition or genre | Mystic poetry |
Baba Tahir or Baba Taher Oryan Hamadani (Persian: باباطاهر عریان همدانی) was an 11th-century dervish poet from Hamadan, Iran who lived during the reign of Tugril of the Seljuk dynasty over Iran. This is almost all that is known of him as he lived a mysterious lifestyle.[1][2] Although prefix "Baba" (roughly meaning 'The Wise' or 'The Respected') has been thought as part of his name in all known sources, his nickname "Oryan" (meaning 'The Naked') did not appear until about 17th-century.[3] The nickname was probably attributed to him because he seemed to lead a very spiritual and stoic lifestyle and thus was figuratively not clothed with worldly and material needs.[3] His poetry is written in the Hamadani dialect of the Persian language. According to L. P. Elwell-Sutton he probably wrote in the Hamadani dialect, adding: "Most traditional sources call it loosely Luri, while the name commonly applied from an early date to verses of this kind, Fahlaviyat, presumably implies that they were thought to be in a language related to the Middle Persian language. Rouben Abrahamian however found a close affinity with the dialect spoken at the present time by the Jews of Hamadan."[4] According to The Cambridge History of Iran, Baba Tahir spoke a certain Persian dialect.[5]
- ^ "BĀBĀ ṬĀHER ʿORYĀN – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
- ^ Minorsky, Vladimir (24 April 2012). "Bābā Ṭāhir". Encyclopedia of Islam.
- ^ a b "The Great Islamic Encyclopedia Project". Retrieved 2019-10-31.
- ^ L. P. Elwell-Sutton. "BĀBĀ ṬĀHER ʿORYĀN". Encyclopædia Iranica. Iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- ^ Bosworth 1975, p. 610.