Adopting a comparative approach, this study examines the status and role of women across two successive periods of Persian epic poetry: first, the epics of the Timurid era comprising Hātefi Kharjerdi’s historical epic Timurnama and Ibn-Husam Khusfi’s religious epic Khāvarān-nāma and subsequently, the epics of the Safavid era, including the historical epic Shāh-Ismā‘il-nāma and Bāzel Mashhadi’s religious epic Hamla-i Haydari. The study aims to trace the evolution of the pattern of female representation during the transition from the Timurid epic to the Safavid epic. The data were gathered through an examination of female characters across four works and analyzed based on criteria such as the extent of their presence in the narrative, the nature of their agency, and their political, martial, and ideological roles. An analysis of characters such as Takina, The Khan's Daughter, and the mother of the ruler of Herat in the Timurnama reveals that women in the historical epics of the Timurid era primarily appear within the frameworks of power dynamics, family, and politics; in contrast, characters such as Golandam, Golnar, and Shamama in the Khavaran-nama, beyond their familial and political roles, demonstrate moral, martial, and ideological agency and play a direct role in advancing the narrative plot. An examination of the Shah-Isma'il-Nama and the Hamla-i Haydari reveals that this relatively rich pattern of female presence does not persist in Safavid epics; instead, the role of women in these works is severely limited and marginal. The findings indicate that, contrary to the prevailing assumption regarding the gradual
sanaie pournak, َ. and Mozaffari, A. (2026). The Evolution of the Pattern of Female Representation in the Transition from the Timurid Epic to the Safavid Epic. Persian Language and Literature, (), -. doi: 10.22034/perlit.2026.73134.3987
MLA
sanaie pournak, َ. , and Mozaffari, A. . "The Evolution of the Pattern of Female Representation in the Transition from the Timurid Epic to the Safavid Epic", Persian Language and Literature, , , 2026, -. doi: 10.22034/perlit.2026.73134.3987
HARVARD
sanaie pournak, َ., Mozaffari, A. (2026). 'The Evolution of the Pattern of Female Representation in the Transition from the Timurid Epic to the Safavid Epic', Persian Language and Literature, (), pp. -. doi: 10.22034/perlit.2026.73134.3987
CHICAGO
َ. sanaie pournak and A. Mozaffari, "The Evolution of the Pattern of Female Representation in the Transition from the Timurid Epic to the Safavid Epic," Persian Language and Literature, (2026): -, doi: 10.22034/perlit.2026.73134.3987
VANCOUVER
sanaie pournak, َ., Mozaffari, A. The Evolution of the Pattern of Female Representation in the Transition from the Timurid Epic to the Safavid Epic. Persian Language and Literature, 2026; (): -. doi: 10.22034/perlit.2026.73134.3987
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