Persian works printed in Egypt were, like those above, a reflection of the ‘three tongues’ tradition that characterized Ottoman culture. A glance at these works shows that they represent the masterpieces of Persian literature. Thus the celebrated Golestan (Rose Garden) of Saadi Shirazi was printed eight times in Egypt between 1828 and 1872-73 (as well as being translated into Arabic and printed at Bulaq in 1263/1846-47). The equally famous poems of Hafez Shirazi were printed four times between 1834 and 1864-65. The Nasayeh-e Farisiye (The Persian Counsels), on the art of religious exhortation, was printed twice, in 1266/1849-50 and 1286/1869-70. Faridoddin ‘Attar’s well-known Pendname (Counsels) was printed nine times in Egypt between 1828 and 1877-78.
Two further Persian works of local provenance were printed in Egypt. The first of these was the Tehniyetname-i hidiviye (Book of Khedival Felicitations) (1879), which contains poems in Turkish and Persian composed by Mehmed Mihri Effendi in praise of Khedive Tawfiq written on the occasion of the latter’s ascension to the throne. The second is the collected poems of ‘A’isha al-Taymuriya (1898). This book contains Turkish and Persian verses together.
If we look at the dates of these books, arranged here under their three headings in chronological order, we find that most of them were printed during the reign of Muhammad ‘Ali. The importance of the Turkish language declined as the Egyptian version of Ottoman culture turned away from the tradition of Istanbul toward an Egyptian model and the earlier Turkish influence declined. Its place was taken by European, and especially French, culture. Thus the importance of the Persian language, as an element alongside Turkish in the ‘three tongues’ system, also diminished, and at an even faster rate, with no more books being printed after 1898.
World History
