Analysis of Memory Places in Ibn Balkhi's Fārsnāmeh

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research article

Author

Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran

Abstract

Fārsnāmeh by Ebn al-Balkhī is one of the important historical-literary texts of the sixth century AH. In addition to recording historical and geographical events, it plays a significant role in preserving and transmitting Iran’s cultural memory and ancient narratives. Owing to Ebn al-Balkhī’s role in representing Iran’s cultural past through the narration of cities and transforming these places into centers of collective memory, the present descriptive-analytical study, based on theory of sites of memory, seeks to explain and analyze the mnemonic function of the cities of Estakhr, Fīrūzābād, Bīshāpūr, and Shiraz in Fārsnāmeh. The findings of the study indicate that, through the purposeful selection and organization of historical, mythical, and religious narratives, the author assigns a mnemonic function to each of the cities under investigation. In his narrative, Estakhr is represented as the origin of political and religious legitimacy; Fīrūzābād as a memorial of the revival of Sasanian power; Bīshāpūr as a symbol of the continuity and reconstruction of Iranian civilization; and Shiraz as a manifestation of the transfer of centrality and the continuity of the historical identity of Fars. From this perspective, Fārsnāmeh is not merely a work in the fields of history, geography, and literature; rather, it is a memory-producing text that, through the narration of places and the history of cities, plays an effective role in preserving and transmitting the historical memory and cultural identity of Iran.

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Main Subjects

Persian Language and Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 17 September 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 17 July 2026
  • Revise Date: 09 August 2026
  • Accept Date: 17 September 2026
  • Publish Date: 17 September 2026

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