Here is the English abstract of Dr. Moslem Nadalizadeh's (Faculty Member, Department of Persian Literature, Ahlul Bayt International University, Iran) speech at the third series of scientific lectures of the international conference on Theology of Pilgrimage titled "Theology of Pilgrimage and Persian Literature" which was held online on August 5, 2023.

Typology of Pilgrimage Literature in Persian Poetry

The act of pilgrimage (especially Hajj) and visiting sacred places has been a subject of interest for Muslim poets in composing poems. This inclination has led to the emergence of various genres in Persian literature related to pilgrimage poetry. In this study, examples of each of these genres are examined: longing poems or wish poems has reflected the poets' eagerness and desire to pilgrimage; Pilgrimage prayers in the form of poems, such as the poems of Ziyarat Ashura, Ziyarat Jami'ah Kabirah, etc.; Chavoshkhani has been used for farewelling the pilgrims and welcoming them; Inscriptions on shrines’ gates and tiles, and epitaphs express the poets' respect for the buried figures in holy shrines; Chronograms have referred to the time of construction or repair of holy shrines, the installation of tombs, and similar issues; Repentance poems, intercession poems, Salām and Ṣalawāt poems, and the like has been related to the etiquette of visiting the holy souls and the spiritual transformations of the pilgrim; Poems in terms of social issues related to pilgrimage, such as the aggression of invading countries against holy sites and complaint poems; Critical poems aimed at teaching proper pilgrimage; Ta'zieh poems which has been about visiting sacred places and describing the dangers that pilgrims face, or narrating the miracles that appear during these journeys.

Translator: Mahdi Qasemi