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The Iranian Ismaili poet and author, Naser Khosrow
Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On 6th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani in 437 AH, the Iranian Ismaili Shi'ite poet and author, Naser Khosrow, who was born in Qobadian in eastern Khorasan, which is now part of modern Tajikistan, started his journey to Fatemid Egypt to meet the Ismaili caliph.
During the over six years he spent in travel until his return home, he visited different lands, such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Arabia, and Egypt, and performed the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina four times.
He penned his travels in the famous book titled “Safar-Namah†or Travelogue that contains an interesting description of the peoples, the customs, the conditions, and geographical factors of the lands he visited. He was well versed in astrology, as well as philosophy and interpretation of the holy Qur'an.
He had studied Arabic, Turkic, Greek, Sanskrit, Sindhi, and even Hebrew. In separate journeys he also visited Multan and Lahore, and the splendid Ghaznavid court under Sultan Mahmud in what is now Afghanistan. Naser Khosrow has composed some very fine odes in Persian in praise of Imam Ali (AS), the First Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
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