Nasir-e Khusraw

Nasir-e Khusraw

(born 1004, Qubadiyan, Khorasan—died c. 1072/ 77, Yumgan, Central Asia) Persian poet, theologian, and propagandist. Born into a family of government officials who belonged to the Shi'ite branch of Islam, he attended school only briefly. In 1045 he made a pilgrimage to Mecca and then traveled to Palestine and Egypt, which was then ruled by the Shi'ite Fatimid dynasty. He returned to his homeland to serve as a missionary for the Fatimid's Isma'ili sect of Shi'ites, but his efforts aroused the hostility of the majority Sunnites and he was obliged to flee. Considered one of the greatest Persian writers, he is remembered for his didactic and devotional poetry as well as for his Diary of a Journey Through Syria and Palestine.