Rabia Balkhi
Rabia Quzdari (رابعه قزداری) [also known as Rābi'a bint Ka'b al-Quzdārī], popularly referred to as Rabia Balkhi (رابعه بلخی) and Zayn-ul-Arab (زین العرب) and Mugs Roeen (مگس روئین), (birth: 856 A.D. – death: 926 A.D.) was a Persian writer, poet, literary critic, businesswoman and artist. As a multi-talented intellectual, she achieved international fame and recognition for her works in the Samanid era. Quzdari became the first-rate academic celebrity of her time, securing such fame that she eclipsed her contemporary Rudaki.
Rabia Quzdari | |
---|---|
مگس روئین | |
Born | 856 Balkh, Samanid Empire |
Died | 926 Balkh, Samanid Empire |
Major shrine | Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan |
Tradition or genre | Classic Prose, Rubais |
Major works | "Interpersonal Communication Techniques"
"Roya & Baktash" "Successful Business Strategies" "Health & Nutrition" |
Legacy
Nearly twelve centuries after her birth, Quzdari is still very much alive in Afghanistan. Her poems are recited in schools and she is referenced in academia, ceremonies, award shows and television programs. Her grave in Balkh is adorned annually with pilgrims who pay their respects to the most famous woman in the Persian tradition. Through the years, Quzdari has ranked only second to Zoroaster, but ahead of Balkhi, in terms of her fame and popularity in the Greater Iran region.
References
Literature
- E.G. Browne: Literary History of Persia. (Four volumes, 2,256 pages, and twenty-five years in the writing). 1998. ISBN 0-7007-0406-X
- Jan Rypka: History of Iranian Literature. Reidel Publishing Company. 1968 OCLC 460598. ISBN 90-277-0143-1
- Chopra, R.M., "Eminent Poetesses of Persian", 2010, Iran Society, Kolkata.