Zahir al-Din Faryabi

Biography

Zahir al-Din Faryabi, Abu al-Fazl Tahir ibn Muhammad (d. 1201), a poet with the nom de plume Zahir. Born in Faryab, in Khurasan, located at a distance of six caravan stations from Balkh, Zahir, one of the most well-known Persian qasida poets in his time. He lived in Isfahan and Nishabur, but finally departed for Azerbaijan and died in Tabriz. He was laid to rest at the Surkhab Cemetery, known as the Cemetery of the Poets (Maqbarat al-Shu’ara’). He was well-versed in astronomy and further disciplines of his times. He received his education in his youth in literature and other disciplines in Faryab and Nishabur. While residing in Nishabur, he wrote a refutation of astrologers’ prognostication concerning a tempest to occur in 1186, but Tughan Shah ibn Mu’ayyad did not accord any attention to his treatise. Such indifference is reflected in some of his poems. As a consequence, he had to depart Nishabur for Isfahan in 1186, where he composed eulogies on Sadr al-Din Khujandi. He departed for Mazandaran and Azerbaijan in 1189 and eulogized some of the Atabeks of Azerbaijan. He also composed eulogies on the Bawandid Isfahbid Ardashir ibn Hasan. His other patrons include Tughril ibn Arsalan, the last Seljuk king, Qizil Arsalan ibn Ildigiz, Atabek Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr Ildigiz, and other Atabeks of Azerbaijan. He spent most of his life in Tabriz and was a contemporary of Khaqani Shirwani, Shaykh Nizami, Mujir al-Din Baylaqani, and Jamal al-Din ‘Abd al-Razzaq. Jamal al-Din composed a detailed and elegant tarkib-band in his praise and Zahir also made poetical compositions eulogizing Jamal al-Din. His Divan has been published several times. His qasidas, mainly eulogies on kings and notables, are vigorous, powerful, and elegant. He distanced himself from courts and led the life of an ascetic to his last day. He is regarded as an eminent qasida poet and critics have disagreed on his precedence over Anwari or vice versa. Such comparison stems from their similar styles, mastery of poetical compositions, and the manner of their imagery. 

Chaharsad Sha’ir-i Barguzida-yi Parsiguy (614-617); Divist Sukhanvar (220-222).