 Folio from a manuscript of the Marzban-nama stored in the Malek National Museum and Library, Tehran | |
| Author | Sa'ad al-Din Varavini |
|---|---|
| Language | Persian |
| Genre | Mirrors for princes |
Publication date | Early 13th-century |
The Marzbān-nāma (Persian: مرزباننامه, lit. 'Book of Marzban') is an early 13th-century Persian prose work. It consists of "various didactic stories and fables used as illustrations of morality and right conduct", and belongs to the "mirror for princes" literary genre.[1][2] It was written in 1210–1225 by Sa'ad al-Din Varavini, under the patronage of Abu'l-Qasem Harun, the vizier of the Eldiguzid ruler (atabeg) Muzaffar al-Din Uzbek (r. 1210–1225).[1]
The Marzbān-nāma was translated fully or as an abridgement into Turkish, Arabic, French and English.[1] K. Crewe Williams notes that the Marzbān-nāma is said to have been based upon a non-extant precursor, which was written in the vernacular of Tabaristan (a historic region in northern Iran) around the 10th century, by the Bavandid ruler Al-Marzuban (r. 979–986).[1]
As opposed to normal practise, the three illustrations found at the beginning of the earliest extant manuscript (dated 1299) were drawn before the text was written.[2] The illustrations depict the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the author of the work and the patron.[2]
