Nizami Ganjavi

Nizami Ganjavi
Rug depiction of Nizami Ganjavi (1939), Ganja Museum, Republic of Azerbaijan
Bornc.1141 (earlier date c.1130 has also been suggested)
Ganja, Seljuk Empire (modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan)
Died1209 (aged 68–78)
Ganja (Shirvanshah dynasty, modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan)
Period12th century
GenreRomantic Persian epic poetry, Persian lyrical poetry, wisdom literature
Notable worksKhamsa or Panj Ganj ('Five Treasures')

Nizami Ganjavi (Persian: نظامی گنجوی, romanized: Niẓāmī Ganjavī, lit.'Niẓāmī of Ganja'; c. 1141 – 1209), Nizami Ganje'i, Nizami, or Nezāmi, whose formal name was Jamal ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakkī, was a 12th-century poet. Nizami is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely appreciated in Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Iran, the Kurdistan region and Tajikistan.