A Meta-analysis of Shahnameh Scholars’ Studies on Beyhaqi’s Viewpoint of Shahnameh: A New Perspective

Beyhaqi, the renowned secretary of the Ghaznavid court, was a contemporary of Ferdowsi. In his historical account, The History of Beyhaqi (Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī), written on the basis of thirty-seven years of being a court secretary, Beyhaqi revealed many details of the courtiers of the Ghaznavid era. However, he did not refer to Ferdowsi and his interactions with Mahmoud's court at all. Moreover, to enhance the persuasiveness of his words, Beyhaqi has quoted from many poets, yet no verse or stanza, though highly related to the historical events of The History of Beyhaqi, was cited from Ferdowsi. In studies on this matter, most of the researchers focused on extratextual analysis and related this to Ferdowsi’s life events and his rejection by Mahmoud court. Noteworthy, an intratextual analysis of Shahnameh has been mostly ignored. Studying and examining these studies has shown that most researchers have imposed their own preferences on the analyses, undermining the validity of their studies. The current paper, by employing an analytical and descriptive methodology, was aimed at studying the anti-mythical views of writers, contemporary to Beyhaqi. After analysis, it became apparent that mythical texts, in Beyhaqi’s view, were considered as irrational and unimportant and Shahnameh was no exception. Therefore, he refrained to quote from Ferdowsi in his book.