Ali-Shir Nava'i

Ali-Shir Nava'i

(Mir) ‘Alī Shīr Navā’ī (also spelled Nevā’ī) (Uzbek: Alisher Navoiy, Алишер Навоий; Persian: نظام الدین على شير هروی‎), also known as Nizām-al-Din ʿAlī-Shīr Herawī (9 February 1441 – 3 January 1501) was a Central Asian Turkic politician, mystic, linguist, painter, and poet. He was the greatest representative of Chagatai language (old Uzbek) literature. He significantly contributed to the development of the Uzbek language and is widely considered to be the founder of Uzbek literature. Alī Shīr Navā’ī was born and lived in Herat. He is generally known by his pen name Navā'ī (Persian: نوایی‎, meaning "melodic" or "melody maker"). Because of his distinguished Chagatai language poetry, he is considered by many throughout the Turkic-speaking world to be the founder of early Turkic literature. Many places and institutions in Uzbekistan and other Turkic countries are named after Alī Shīr Navā’ī. Navoiy Province, the city of Navoiy, the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, and Navoiy Airport — all are named after him. Many of Nava'i's ghazals have become popular Uzbek folk songs, especially by Sherali Jo‘rayev, and his works have been staged as plays by Uzbek playwrights.