Diwan-i Ghiyath al-Din-i Kujuji

Born into an influential family from Kujuj near Tabriz, Khwajah Ghiyath al-Din Shaykh Muhammad Kujujani was a relative of the well-known mystic Muhammad b. Siddiq Kujuji (d. 677/1278). Better known as Khwaja Shaykh, Kujujani held the office of Shaykh al-Islam of Tabriz under the Jalayirid rulers Shaykh Uways (d. 776/1374) and his son Husayn. Like his forebear, Khwaja Shaykh had Sufi leanings and possessed a flourishing khanqah (Sufi convent) in Tabriz. In 783/1382, Shaykh Husayn was killed by his brother Ahmad (d. 813/1410). Under Ahmad, Khwaja Shaykh was still a man of importance, at ease among governors and heads of state, which is clear from his involvement in Ahmad's negotiations with some of his enemies. However, fearing Khwaja Shaykh's influence as a spiritual leader, Ahmad had him murdered in 787/1385 or 788/1386. Popular in Azerbaijan and Iraq in his lifetime, Khwaja Shaykh's poetry is published here for the first time. Contains material in Fahlawi (Azeri).