Imadaddin Nasimi — A Poet Ahead of His Time

Imadaddin Nasimi (c. 1369–1417) was one of the founders of poetry in the Azerbaijani language. He also wrote in Persian and Arabic, and his verses on human greatness still sound bold today.

Life

Nasimi was born in Shamakhi — other accounts say Tabriz or Baghdad. He followed Hurufism, a teaching that saw the divine in humankind. He travelled widely in the Middle East and was executed in Aleppo for his beliefs.

Poetry

His most famous lines:

Both worlds can fit within me, but I cannot fit in this world.
I am the essence without place, and I cannot fit in being.

Nasimi's ghazals are sung in mugham, and their central idea is that a person contains a whole universe.

Legacy

In 1973 UNESCO marked the poet's 600th anniversary, and Azerbaijan declared 2019 the Year of Nasimi. A Baku district, a street and the Institute of Linguistics bear his name, and his monument stands in the square near Sahil metro station. Learn more about Azerbaijani culture.