The Reception of Firdausi’s Shahnama Among the Ottomans

Abstract

Firdausi's monumental Shahnama made quite an impact on the literatures of the Islamic Middle Ages and beyond. This Shahnama tradition among ethnic Turks continued in Anatolia among the Saljuqs and finally, the Ottomans. Ottoman pashas bought copies of the work and Ottoman sultans had copies offered to them from the libraries of their subjects and commissioned translations and imitations. This chapter gives a global idea of its impact on the Ottomans and Ottoman literature. It is largely meant as a summary of the present state of knowledge on the topic. The chapter presents a brief inventory of the manuscript copies of the Shahnama or parts thereof that are preserved in libraries in Turkey and other successor states of the Ottoman Empire today. This might give some indication of the presence, distribution of the text and its popularity, in the region. Keywords:Firdausi; Islamic; libraries; Ottoman literature; Ottomans; Shahnama; Turkey