Alisher Navoiy and the khamsa tradition
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Compare the khamsas of Nizomiy, Dehlaviy and Navoiy in a table (who, when, in which language).
Nizomiy – 1173–1201, Persian; Dehlaviy – 1299–1301, Persian; Navoiy – 1483–1485, Turkic.
2
Name at least four works by Navoiy and sort them as lyric, epic or scholarly (with a book or an adult’s help).
E.g. “Xazoyin ul-maoniy” – lyric; “Farhod and Shirin” – epic; “Muhokamat ul-lug‘atayn” – scholarly; “Majolis un-nafois” – a scholarly-biographical work.
3
State in your own words the idea behind Navoiy’s writing his “Khamsa” in Turkic.
He believed a work for the people should be in their own tongue and wanted to show Turkic is not inferior to Persian.
4
Write three sentences giving your view on the idea “to know Navoiy is to know oneself”.
Free answer; it should give evidence that Navoiy’s works reflect the people’s thought, language and spirituality.