A Hypothesis about the Author of Aja’ib al-Dunya

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Aja’ib al-Dunya is one of the most famous Books of Wonders in Persian which has had a great impact on later works. Some scholars reject the attribution of this book to Abol-moayyed Balkhi, but identifying the author is a question that has so far remained unanswered. In the book Aja’ib Va Ghara’ib, Azari Esfarayeni referred to this book 14 times. In one of them, he attributed the book to Naser Khosrow. In this research, the author seeks to verify the accuracy of this attribution. The study demonstrates that the quotations made by Azari are available in the mentioned sources, and we can trust his honesty. Comparing those 14 stories shows that Azari used the same Aja’ib al-Dunya which is now available. Additionally, the examination of biographies and Naser Khosrow's works shows that he was probably interested in this branch of knowledge in an episode of his life. Therefore, it can be concluded that Azari Esfrayeni's statement is probably true and the book Aja’ib al-Dunya may have been composed by Naser Khosrow before converting to the Isma’ili thought and being entitled “Hojjat of Khorasan Island”.

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