Haft Peykar
Haft Peykar (Seven Portraits), also known as Bahramnameh (The Book of Bahram), is a Persian epic poem by Nizami Ganjavi written around 1197. It is one of his five long stories in the Khamsa (Quintet). The title can be read as “Seven Portraits” or “Seven Beauties,” a deliberate play on meaning.
The tale follows King Bahram Gur, famed for his hunting prowess. He has seven wives and builds a palace with seven domes, each devoted to a day of the week, a color, and one of his brides. Bahram visits each dome, where he feasts and enjoys the company of that bride, who then tells him a story. Each bride represents a region of the world and a moral or spiritual idea, and together the tales explore themes of love, virtue, and the tension between sacred and worldly love. The work blends romantic adventure with moral reflection.
Haft Peykar is considered both erotic and morally serious. It was probably completed in August 1197 and is believed to have been dedicated to the Ahmadili ruler Ala-al-Din Korpe Arslan bin Aq-Sonqor. Over the centuries, the poem inspired music, ballet, sculpture, and art in places like Baku, including works by Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Gara Garayev, a Bahram Gur statue, and mosaics in the Nizami metro station.
The poem has been translated into several languages. Notable English versions include Charles Edward Wilson’s two-volume translation (1924) and Julie Scott Meisami’s rhymed translation (1967), both accompanied by explanatory notes.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:13 (CET).