The Cultural Impact of the Persian Language in and around Bidlis

It may seem perplexing, in the beginning, to see Iranian poet Khayyam's rubaies and other Persian poems on the gravestones of Bidlis from the late nineteenth century. However, when scrutinizing Bidlis's political and cultural history, it is clear that Persian language and culture has deep, longstanding roots in this city and been integrated into high Iranian-Islamic culture in both respects. Based mainly on primary archival sources and inscriptions, I touch on the adventures and preponderance of Persian-the lingua franca of the rulers of Bidlis, a Kurdish principality located on the Ottoman-Iranian frontier-and its intellectuals after the city was integrated into the Ottoman world, and thus the decaying ascendancy of Persian.Mohammad Amin Riyahi's book, Nofuz-e zaban o adabiyat-e Farsi dar qalamrov-e Osmani, is a well-known study in this respect, but mostly focuses on the adventures of Persian in and around court circles. Another comprehensive book on the subject, The Persianate World: The Frontiers of a Eurasian Lingua Franca, illustrates the frontiers of Persian's usage in the vast geography stretching from China, Central Asia, and India to the Ottoman world. By focusing on a limited area like Bidlis, the region's most prestigious principality, this article attempts to elucidate the impact of Persian in the Ottoman-Iranian frontiers, unearthing its influence as a language of both diplomacy and literature as well as a lingua franca of Bidlis intellectuals in the lands ruled by Kurdish rulers.

Automated summary

This article focuses on the use of Persian language in Bidlis, a Kurdish principality on the Ottoman-Iranian frontier, in the late nineteenth century. It discusses the deep roots of Persian language and culture in Bidlis, its integration into high Iranian-Islamic culture, and its influence as a language of diplomacy and literature in the region.