Firdawsī and the story of Joseph between Shiraz and Herat in the early 15th century

Firdawsī and the story of Joseph between Shiraz and Herat in the early 15^th century: text and context of an early manuscript of Yūsuf-u Zulaykhā 

This lecture will focus on the emergence, nature and context of a narrative poem about the prophet Joseph (Yūsuf) and Zulaykhā, composed in the metre mutaqārib and attributed to Firdawsī. There are many Persian prose and poetic renditions of the widely known love story of Yūsuf and Zulaykhā, which is based on biblical and Qur’anic narratives. The earliest traces of Yūsuf-u Zulaykhā in mutaqārib, associated with Firdawsī, appear in the early 15^th century. Studies on this Yūsuf-u Zulaykhā are quite rare; when it is discussed at all, it is mostly in the context of the disputed attribution to Firdawsī and the questions surrounding the authorship of the many versions of this text. In this lecture, I will focus in particular on certain aspects of an enigmatic illustrated manuscript held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, which is believed to be the oldest manuscript of Yūsuf-u Zulaykhā in mutaqārib.