Nozhat al-Majales

Nozhat al-Majales (Joy of the Gatherings) is an anthology containing approximately 4,100 Persian quatrains by about 300 poets from the 5th to 7th centuries AH (11th-13th centuries AD). Compiled in the mid-7th century AH (13th century) by Jamal al-Din Khalil Shirvani, it was dedicated to Ala al-Din Shirvanshah Fariburz III. Organized into 17 chapters and 96 sections, the anthology includes 179 quatrains and a qasida (ode) of 50 distiches by Jamal Khalil Shirvani.

Significantly, it features works from poets whose complete collections no longer exist, such as Omar Khayyam and Mahsati. It also includes contributions from scholars, mystics, and lesser-known figures like Avicenna, Attar of Nishapur, Sanai, Afdal al-Din Kashani, Ahmad Jam, and others. Notably, the anthology preserves Persian poetry from northwestern Iran and Eastern Transcaucasia, where Persian heritage later declined due to linguistic Turkification.

The anthology highlights poets from diverse backgrounds, including working-class individuals like water carriers (Saqqa') and female poets such as Mahsati Ganjavi and Dokhtar-i Sati. This reflects the widespread use of Persian in the region before its gradual replacement by Turkic languages. The text challenges the notion that Seljuq rulers introduced Persian culture to the area, instead emphasizing the pre-existing Iranian cultural presence, evidenced by early Persian poetry from regions like Arran and Azerbaijan.

The manuscript, copied in 1331 by Esmail b. Esfandiyar Abhari, is a unique preservation of Persian literary heritage, particularly from the Caucasus region where much has since been lost.