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Middle Persian literature is Persian literature of the 1st millennium AD, especially of the Sassanid period.

Contents 1 Literature of Pahlavi 1.1 Pahlavi translations of Avesta texts 1.2 Pahlavi texts on religious subjects 1.3 Pahlavi texts on non-religious subjects 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Literature of Pahlavi

Pahlavi Literature can be divided in three parts:

1. the Pahlavi version of the Avesta, generally known as the 'Zend-Avesta'.
2. Pahlavi texts on religious subjects.
3. Pahlavi texts on non-religious subjects.

[edit] Pahlavi translations of Avesta texts

This includes several major Pahlavi texts which are translations of Avesta texts. It includes also some Afringan, Yasht and Niyayishn.

Some major Pahlavi books of this kind are:

1. Vendidad
2. Afringan-i Gahanbar
3. Yasna
4. Haptan Yasht
5. Nirangistan
6. Srosh Yasht Hadokht
7. Vishtasp Yasht
8. Sirozak I, II
9. Visperad
10. Frahang-i Oim-evak
11. Khurshet Nyayish
12. Ahuramazd Yasht
13. Aban Nyayish
14. Bahram Yasht
15. Afringan-i Dahman
16. Hadokht Nask
17. Afringan- Gatha
18. Aogemadaecha
19. Khurshet Yasht
20. Chitak avistak-i gasan
21. Mah Yasht
22. Ataxsh Nyayish
23. Vichirkart-i Denig
24. Afaringan Fravartigan
25. Mah Nyayish

[edit] Pahlavi texts on religious subjects

It includes several major Pahlavi texts about different Zoroastrian religious subjects such as cosmogony, cosmology, eschatology, creation of the world, ceremonies, rituals, Andarz, Pandnamak, Patit etc.

Major 9th-century texts include the encyclopedic Denkard; Manushchihr's Dadestain-i Denig ("Religious Decisions") and Epistles; the treatises of Manushchihr's heretical brother, Zat-Sparam; and Bundahishn ("Original Creation")[1].

Some other Pahlavi books of this kind are:

1. Rivayat accompanying
2. Shikand-gumanic Vichar
3. Shayast ne-shayast
4. Bundheshn the creation
5. Dana-i Menog Khrat
6. Mah farvardin Ruz khordad a notable evidents in a date
7. Arda-Viraf Namag
8. Jamasp Namag
9. Zand-i Wahman yasn
10. Matigan-i Yosht-i Fryano
11. Andarz Ushnerdanak
12. Andarz-i Bozorgmehr Bukhtegan the advices by Burzoe.
13. Matigan-i gujastak Abalish

[edit] Pahlavi texts on non-religious subjects

This includes several major Pahlavi texts which fall into the categories of Pahlavi glossaries, stories, poems, Geographies, etc.

Some major Pahlavi books of this kind are:

1. Matigan-i Hazar Datistan (Judicial code)
2. Cities in the land of Iran
3. Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan
4. Vizarishn- i Chatrang ud nahishn-i new Ardashir (invent of chess)
5. Yatkar-i Zariran
6. Drakht-i Asurig
7. Khusro-i Kavatan and his Page
8. Frahang-i Pahlavig
9. Wonders of the land of Sagastan
10. Forms of Epistles
11. Namak-i Tenser the letter by Tenser
12. Shah zanan the king of women

We have to add several other Pahlavi books which are now lost, and of which we are only aware through references in other Arabic and Persian texts, such as Ayyatkar-i Anushirvan the Arabic translation of which can be found in 'Tajarob-al Omam' of 'Ibn-i Muskuye', or 'Khvatay Namak' that is completely lost.

[edit] See also

• Persian literature

[edit] References

• C. G. Cereti, MIDDLE PERSIAN LITERATURE, Encyclopedia Iranica

[edit] External links

• Gilbert Lazard, THE POETICS OF MIDDLE PERSIAN, Encyclopedia Iranica
• Pahlavi literature (in English)

v • d • e Persian literature   Old Behistun Inscription · Old Persian inscriptions   Middle Ayadgar-i Zariran · Dēnkard · Book of Jamasp · Book of Arda Viraf · Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan · Cube of Zoroaster · Shapuregan of Mani · Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr · Bundahishn · Greater Bundahishn · Menog-i Khrad · Jamasp Namag  · Pazand  · Counsels of Adarbad Mahraspandan · Dadestan-i Denig  · Zadspram  · Zand-i Vohuman Yasht  · Drakht-i Asurig · Bahman Yasht  · Shikand-gumanic Vichar   Classical 900s–1000s Rūdakī · Daqīqī · Ferdowsī (Šahnāma) · Abu Shakur Balkhi · Bal'ami · Rabia Balkhi · Abusaeid Abolkheir (967–1049) · Avicenna (980–1037) · Unsuri · Asjadi · Kisai Marvazi · Ayyuqi 1000s–1100s Bābā Tāher · Nasir Khusraw (1004–1088) · Al-Ghazali (1058–1111) · Khwaja Abdullah Ansari (1006–1088) · Asadi Tusi · Qatran Tabrizi (1009–1072) · Nizam al-Mulk (1018–1092) · Masud Sa'd Salman (1046–1121) · Moezi Neyshapuri · Omar Khayyām (1048–1131) · Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani · Ahmad Ghazali · Hujwiri · Manuchehri · Ayn-al-Quzat Hamadani (1098–1131) · Uthman Mukhtari · Abu-al-Faraj Runi · Sanai · Banu Goshasp · Borzu-Nama · Mu'izzi · Mahsati Ganjavi 1100s–1200s Hakim Iranshah · Suzani Samarqandi · Ashraf Ghaznavi · Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi (1155–1191) · Adib Sabir · Am'aq · Attār (1142–c.1220) · Khaghani (1120–1190) · Anvari (1126–1189) · Faramarz-e Khodadad · Nizāmī Ganjavi (1141–1209) · Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1149–1209) · Shams Tabrizi (d.1248) 1200s–1300s Abu Tahir Tarsusi · Najm al-din Razi · Awhadi Maraghai · Shams al-Din Qays Razi · Baha al-din Walad · Nasīr al-Dīn al-Tūsī · Baba Afdal al-Din Kashani · Fakhr al-din Araqi · Mahmud Shabistari (1288–1320s) · Abu'l Majd Tabrizi · Amīr Khosrow (1253–1325) · Sa'adī (Būstān / Golestān) · Bahram-e-Pazhdo · Zartosht Bahram e Pazhdo · Rumi · Homam Tabrizi (1238–1314) · Nozhat al-Majales  · Khwaju Kermani · Sultan Walad 1300s–1400s Ibn Yamin · Shah Ni'matullah Wali · Hāfez (Dīvān) · Abu Ali Qalandar · Fazlallah Astarabadi · Nasimi · Emad al-Din Faqih Kemani 1400s–1500s Ubayd Zakani · Salman Sawaji · Jāmī · Kamal Khujandi · Ahli Shirzi (1454–1535) · Fuzûlî (1483–1556) · Baba Faghani Shirzani 1500s–1600s Vahshi Bafqi (1523–1583) · Urfi Shirazi 1600s–1700s Sa'eb Tabrizi (1607–1670) · Hazin Lāhiji (1692–1766) · Saba Kashani · Bidel Dehlavi (1642–1720) 1700s–1800s Neshat Esfahani · Forughi Bistami (1798–1857) · Mahmud Saba Kashani (1813–1893)   Contemporary Ahmad Kasravi · Mohammad–Taqī Bahār · Sādeq Hedāyat · Forough Farrokhzad · Šāmlū · Hushang Ebtehaj · Khalilollāh Khalilī · Wasef Bakhtari · Raziq Faani · Sohrāb Sepehri · Shahriar · Loiq Sherali · Muhammad Iqbal · Parvin E'tesami · Mehdi Akhavan-Sales · Emad Khorasani · Aref Qazvini · Ebrahim Poordavood · Mirzadeh Eshghi · Allameh Tabatabaei · Adib Pishevari · Ashraf Gilani · Javad Nurbakhsh · Golchin Gilani · Gholām–Hossein Sā'edi · Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar Contemporary Persian and Classical Persian are the same language, but writers since 1900 are classified as contemporary. At one time, Persian was a common cultural language of much of the non-Arabic Islamic world. Today it is the official language of Iran, Tajikistan and one of the two official languages of Afghanistan.