Saadi

Author of the Gulistan (The Rose Garden) and the Bustan (The Orchard), known as "the Nightingale of Shiraz."

Life

Student from Shiraz

Saadi was born in Shiraz and studied at the Nizamiyya in Baghdad. During the Mongol western campaigns he traveled for years across West Asia and North Africa, and is said to have been captured by Crusaders and put to forced labor.

Thirty years of travels

Around 1257 he returned to Shiraz and wrote the poetry collection Bustan (The Orchard) and the mixed prose-and-verse Gulistan (The Rose Garden), using stories and maxims to teach worldly wisdom and morality.

The Rose Garden

He spent his last years in Shiraz and died c. 1292.

Legacy

Saadi is a leading figure of classical Persian literature, and for centuries the Gulistan (The Rose Garden) served as a primer for learners throughout the Persian-speaking world.

Major works & achievements

• Gulistan (The Rose Garden)
• Bustan (The Orchard)

Did you know? A carpet at the entrance to the United Nations headquarters is woven with his line "The children of Adam are all brothers."

Key dates

• 1226Leaves Shiraz to travel and study (approx.)
• 1257Writes the Bustan (The Orchard)
• 1258Writes the Gulistan (The Rose Garden)
• 1292Died (approx.)