The Effects of Sa'di-yi Sirazi's Journeys on His Work "Gulistan"

Sa'di-yi Sirazi (d.691/1292), who lived in the XIII. Century and whose name has reached the present day, is one of the greatest poets of Iran. The poet, who went to Baghdad for a training trip due to the upcoming Mongol invasion and took a long journey then, wrote up important works containing the political-social events of his time. Among these works, "Bustan" and "Gulistan" are the ones which make an indelible impression most. "Bustan" was written in the year of 655/1257 in the pattern of mutekarib bahri (a poem pattern). It is a didactic poem consisting of 500 couplets. His other work "Gulistan" was written in the year of 656/1258, a year after "Bustan". This work in which poetry and prose are intertwined vary from the other works of Sa'di in terms of style and content and it has been studied and thought on by almost all poets. "Gulistan" is an important work in terms of presenting anecdotes from Sa'di's life and transferring his experiences to the reader. Most of the stories described in "Gulistan" are about the experiences that the poets gained during his long journeys and the events that happened. This study is intended to deal with the long journeys mentioned by Sa'di' in "Gulistan" after he left his country due to the chaos in Siraz. The effects of these journeys on "Gulistan" will also be emphasized.