persian and arabic lit

8/8/2019 Persian and Arabic Lit

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+

Persian and Arabic

Literature

c. A.D. 600-A.D. 1400


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+Origins of Persian Culture

A group of Aryan tribes migrated from southern Russia to

Persia (Iran today)

They seized the population and took control of land

This tribal group become one of the most powerful forces in

the Middle East

They became known as Persians, and their language evolved


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+The Persian Empire at its Height


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+The Persian Empire

Persian King Cyrus the Great began a series of conquests andexpands the empire

New empire extends further by conquering Egypt, Afghanistan,

and nothern India

They were remarkable at retaining order in their empire governor established the Persian Code of Laws, taxing, and builtroads

They showed respect to conquered peoples for their native

customs and religions.

Tolerance minimized rebellions

Conquered by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C.


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+Statue of Alexander the Great


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+Religion in Ancient Persia

Official state religion was Zoroastrianismcontinued afterempire fell

Underlying philosophy was one of dualism: theoriginator, Zoroaster thought the world was governed by twoopposing gods.

Ahura Mazda, or Ormazd (the god of goodness, truth, andwisdom)

--Ahriman (the spirit of evil)

People who follow the the god of goodness will be rewarded atdeath with an eternal life in Paradise; the others will suffer anafterlife of eternal suffering


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+Symbols and philosophies of

Zoroasterinism


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+The Rise of Islam

Islam orginated during the sixth century A.D. in the area of theArabian Peninsula (now Saudi Arabia)

Founder Muhammad born in A.D. 572 in Mecca (city ofextremes of very rich and very poor)

Muhammad went on retreat and had an experience that foreverchanged his life. He believed that the angel Gabriel came tohim and told him that he was to serve as Gods prophet

He continued to recite his revelations throughout his life andtaught them to his followers

His revelations, after his death, were recorded and arranged intoa book called the Koran, the Holy Scripture of Muslims


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+Muhammad


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+The Koran

A page from the Koran


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+The Central Message of the Koran

There is a single, unique God who is the creator and

sustainer of all things. This god is called Allah which

literally means the God in Arabic

**According to the Koran, it is the duty of all Muslims to

submit their wills to Allah, because he is not only their

creator and sustainer but is also the one who will judge

them at death.**

Muslims must submit to the Five Pillars ofIslam:

1. Submit to Allah

2. Turn to Mecca and pray five times a day

3. Perform acts of charity

4. Fast during Ramadan

5. Make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca duringtheir lifetime


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+The Five Pillars


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+Bowing to Mecca praying


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+Mecca


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+Caliphs

Were Muhammads closest advisors. They believed that their

religion was meant not just for Arabs, but for the entre human

race.

So, they sent out armies to spread the religion throughout the

world and were successful

Many were forcefully converted, but many did so willingly.

They saw this conversion as a means of social and economicadvancement in the new empire


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+Caliphs


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+Language

Arabic was the official language of Islam through literature,

government, and scholarship

Persian was also widespread took over as the mainlanguage except for in areas of religion

Arabic is for praying, Turkish is for cursing, and Persian is

for courtship.


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+ Turkish Alphabet


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+Arabic Alphabet


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+Arabic Literature

Possessed large body of poetry

Qasidas recited odes praising their tribes and

making fun of others

Inititally purely religious

Writers expanded into history, philosophy, and

science

Fiction The Thousand andOne Nights is the

most famous of all Arabic works of literature


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+Persian Literature

After Islamic conquest, virtually no literature written

Then, several hundred years of a literary renaissance

occurred

Produced historical and geographical works, but mostly

books about ethics and morals

In order to preserve their heritage, several poets attempt to

write epic poems

Most famous is Shah-nama is still considered a national

treasure in Iran


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+Pages from Shahnama


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+The rubai

A four-line poetic form of writing

The Rubiyat a collection of verse byOmar Khayyam

wasnt widely respected until theW

estern world recognizedit


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+Sufism

The Sufis were people who had withdrawn from society tolive solitary lives of worship and piety in the hope ofachieving oneness with Allah

Their attachment to Allah was similar to feelings of being inlove

Caused them to feel intoxication, bliss, and pain

Used poetry to express their spiritual feelings in the

language of love

They compare themselves to a nightingale that cries itsfeelings of love for an inaccessible rose, couched in its bedof thorns.


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+Mystical Sufis


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+ The Shahnama

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