The City Of Shiraz The Most Vibrant Hubs Of Creativity...

The city of Shiraz in Iran was one of the most vibrant hubs of creativity and culture during the 14th century. It gave birth to a tradition of intellectual, artistic, and literary activity that rivalled that of 15th century Florence. This thriving vitality earned Shiraz the reputable title as the House of Knowledge within the Islamic realm. The city also provided a perfect place for theology to flourish, since it housed numerous religious lecture halls, prayer assemblies, and Quranic study classes. In addition, Shiraz was a hotspot for the most brilliant preachers, scholars, scientists, and preachers for several centuries. In fact, the city was known for its international theology professors and masters of Sufism. Because this was a period of great intellectual fervor and prosperity, it is no surprise that one of the greatest Persian lyric poets was born at this time (Lewisohn). As an important contributor of classic Sufi literature, Hafiz created lyrical poetry represented his inte nse devotion towards God (Ladinsky 12). Hafiz carefully integrated secular concepts such as drunkenness and human love to symbolize his enchanting experiences with the divine. The spontaneous, yet enthralling, complexity of his work is what makes Hafiz one of the world’s most beloved poets (Pettinger). Shams-un-din Muhammad, otherwise known as Hafiz of Shiraz, was born in approximately 1320. He belonged to a poor family and was the youngest of three sons. His father, a coal merchant, passed