Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History

The Continuity of Iranian Identity in Andarz Literature of the First Five Centuries AH

Document Type : Original Research

Author

Faezeh Aghighi

Iranology Foundation, Tehran

https://doi.org/10.22034/hunara.2025.236475
Abstract
Iranian identity did not disappear with the Arab invasion in the seventh century AD; rather, it persisted in various political, social, and even traditional and customary symbols and practices. This continuity is particularly prominent in the first five centuries AH. One of the main contexts in which this continuity can be observed is the advice literature. Although the style of writing advice texts, or andarz, is an Iranian tradition and the continuation of this practice during the Islamic centuries signifies the persistence of Iranian traditions and ideas, a precise examination of the literature—especially the earliest andarzes of the Islamic period—based on their main components: 1) the themes of the andarzes, and 2) the exemplary characters, reveals this continuity more clearly. This article, using a thematic analysis approach, not only considers the continuity of the andarz-writing style in the early Islamic centuries but also analyzes two main components in seven Persian andarzes from that period. The findings indicate that not only are many themes of these andarzes repetitions of those found in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) texts, but there is also a significant focus on ancient exemplary figures, particularly political ones.

Keywords

Iran
Identity
Andarz
Admonition
Persian Language
Early Post-Islamic Period
Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History
Volume 3, No. 2
December 2025
Pages 55-89

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